New Literacy Centre Opens at Milton Lynch Primary

An all-boys primary school in Christ Church has launched a Literacy Centre aimed at supporting early reading skills, boosting student confidence and providing a dedicated space to address literacy challenges in Barbados.

The centre, launched on Friday by a literacy charity in collaboration with Milton Lynch Primary School, is intended to strengthen students’ problem-solving and critical thinking skills through the use of additional learning resources and digital technology.

Head of the Literacy Project charity, Tara Redhead said the centre was designed to give students a safe, focused environment away from everyday distractions.

“The idea is that it would be used not just as a quiet hub away from the business of the school day for children to come and choose from a myriad of resources to engage in, but also that the room can be used for teaching purposes,” she said.

Redhead explained that the concept behind the Literacy Centre was born out of the need to create functional learning spaces within schools, despite limited resources.

“Granted, the government is not in a position to refurbish entire schools, but what we can do is create spaces that represent what we would like to see in education reform going forward, in terms of teaching and learning and technology,” Redhead said.

She said the need for such spaces became clear during her early work conducting one-on-one literacy sessions with children at public libraries, where she observed wide disparities in reading and writing abilities.

“That’s where it really hit home, the inability to read but also to write,” Redhead explained. “We committed ourselves to that work for a number of years. I deployed volunteers to work specifically with children identified as having literacy challenges, either one-on-one or in small peer groups.”

She said those experiences ultimately led to the creation of the charity, particularly as research continues to highlight the negative social and behavioural consequences associated with poor literacy.

“Significant research shows correlations between poor literacy and social and behavioural challenges, including low self-esteem, low self-confidence and feelings of inferiority,” Redhead revealed.

“You can imagine a child who is unable to participate in class on the same level as their peers and does not have the ability to reconcile that as an adult would. That can lead to frustration, agitation, social isolation and ill-discipline, including bullying and sometimes aggression.”

Member of Parliament for Christ Church East and Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Ryan Straughn, underscored the critical importance of literacy to Barbados’ long-term development.

“This project is to help you hone not just your skills, but the confidence that would allow you to go anywhere in the world, walk into any room and change what is happening in that room,” Straughn told students.

He also highlighted the importance of values, integrity and service, while commending the four University of the West Indies student volunteers involved in the project through the Give Back Programme, which is tied to free tertiary education.

“We recognise that government by itself and traditional institutions cannot fully solve all of the issues we see taking root,” Straughn said. “Through the Give Back Programme, we connect with each other, go to places we would not ordinarily go, and take the time to rebuild and reconnect our human capital.”

Straughn encouraged students to take ownership of the opportunities provided through the programme.

“If you are building, the only way to get past doubt is to have the confidence and the safe spaces to create your own path,” he said.

He added that the Literacy Centre would serve as a foundation for how students approach life beyond the classroom.

“We will give you all that you need, but it is up to you to decide what you do with those skills and that information. That is what will determine how people know you and know your name,” Straughn said.