New centre to help students with reading and writing deficits

As Barbados joins the world in celebrating International Literacy Day, Erdiston Teachers Training College (ETTC) has opened a Literacy Diagnostic Assessment and Early Intervention Centre to address a growing concern about the number of students who have literacy problems.

During today’s official opening of the centre, ETTC Principal Dr Patricia Saul, said the facility will give students who have undiagnosed literacy problems which are not remediated, the opportunity to overcome their deficits, and achieve their full potential.

The centre has been designed to provide diagnostic testing services for students experiencing problems, create intervention programmes for those who have been tested and diagnosed, improve teachers’ innovative skills in delivering intervention programmes and develop a greater understanding and acceptance of the role of the teacher in assisting students who have literacy deficits.

“Literacy is a basic right and critical tool for personal and national development. It paves the way for success in education and meaningful engagement in society.

“In Barbados, there is growing concern that the proportion of the population lacking functional reading and writing skills is far too high in spite of the fact that we have universal access to education. This is a serious hindrance to the development of our people and our country,” she said.

Dr Saul said the other investment in the fight against literacy which the college is celebrating is the donation of BDS$6 000 from the Rotary Club (Barbados) West (RCOBW) which is set to be used to train 20 teachers from special schools in sign language.

She explained that the donation will equip teachers in special education classes to ensure that those students who are deaf or hearing-impaired are able to develop their literacy skills. The principal said sign language offers many benefits for the hearing-impaired, including the improvement of spelling, behaviour, small motor skills, communication skills, and the enhancement of vocabulary.

“As a teacher training institution, we are appreciative of this donation which will help us to better equip our teachers to deal with individuals with special needs. The course will be of three months’ duration and will be conducted two days per week for two hours each day, she noted.

Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education Dr Rommel Springer said the centre will also provide research on how large-scale literacy diagnostic assessment can provide targeted support to students’ needs.

“Consequently, this centre will strengthen the capacity of the Erdiston College to respond to the dire need for early literacy assessment and to support the professional development of teachers in the Barbadian educational system,” said Dr Springer who declared the centre open.

President of the Rotary Club of Barbados West Trevor Williams, said in recognizing that many students who are hearing-impaired and tend to lip read will further be challenged by wearing masks, the club donated the financial assistance to train the teachers from special needs schools in the area of sign language with the hope that the training will be beneficial to students as well as the wider community.

“The club’s primary project this year is Hearing Disabilities among Young Children. Subject to the approval of the Ministry of Education and the parents, RCOBW will pay the cost of hearing tests for students entering The Good Shepherd Primary School for the first time. “Thereafter, based on the successful outcome of the project, there is the possibility that an application will be made to Rotary International to assist with widening the scope of the project to embrace other schools,” Williams said.
anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb