Literacy pilot program for North Leeward

History was made on Monday when the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus launched its new Service Learning program at the Petit Bordel Evangelical Church in North Leeward.{{more}}

The top officials at the Ministry of Education including Education Minister Girlyn Miguel, Permanent Secretary Laura Brown and Chief Education Officer Susan Dougan all made speeches. Also present was Deputy Education Officer Lois DeShong and many other officers from the other departments and units of the Ministry.

Area representative Jerrol Thompson also addressed the gathering, which included Primary School principals and teachers from North Leeward along with the Cave Hill personnel.

Chairperson of the program Janice Cumberbatch in her address explained that in Service learning academic goals are achieved through community service. “Students are prepared in the classroom to reflect on social conditions in countries that require intervention,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of UWI Cave Hill’s Deputy Principal Leo Moseley, Professor Winston King indicated that the program offers a unique opportunity for the Cave Hill Campus to expand its services to its non-campus neighbours, and to continue to contribute to Caribbean development through academic excellence and service. The program, he says, affords Cave Hill an opportunity to further fulfill its social responsibility to the region by addressing a number of socioeconomic challenges.

The project focused on literacy and leadership. The five-day activities included a workshop with primary school teachers during which they were instructed in state of the art ways of teaching children to read and write. Literacy test were done with students from two primary schools in North Leeward and other students worked on special projects to write books about their communities.