AN OASIS FOR STUDENTS


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AN OASIS FOR STUDENTS

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AN OASIS FOR STUDENTS

Bridgeport Primary School teacher thankful for Enrichment Centre Bridgeport Primary School in St. Catherine has always suffered from low literacy rates among their students but literacy teacher Angela Francis is hopeful they will see significant improvement in the near future. Her hope is renewed by the 1-3, Easy as Can Be! Enrichment Room, which was officially handed over to the school today by the Digicel Foundation. This room is the latest Centre in the wider Digicel Foundation Enrichment Initiative which, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, aims at improving literacy at the grade four-level. Bridgeport Primary School is a large school with a population of well over 1000 students. Mrs. Francis notes that many of these students are severely underprepared for the primary school curriculum and they are not getting the parental support they need. In 2010, the results from the school’s grade three diagnostic tests showed that only 44% of the cohort had achieved mastery in Reading Comprehension, and only 22% in the Communication Task. The school needed a higher quality remedial solution for their students in order to significantly improve the students’ performance at the Grade Four Literacy Exam. They applied to the Digicel Foundation for an Enrichment Centre. By 7a.m each morning Mrs. Francis is surrounded by enthusiastic students in her Centre. In addition to the 70 students enrolled in the Enrichment Centre, eager children flock the Centre to take advantage of a book drive at the school to encourage students to read books outside their curriculum. “I really appreciate the room because before, all I had was my voice and charts that I used to make; now I can let the children use the phonics lab for example. The room is very interactive and easy to use, so much so that the students can manipulate the equipment themselves,” Mrs Francis noted. “I try to keep my room intact so the children know they have their own little oasis here.” Classes in the Enrichment Room have only been taking place for a few months but Mrs. Francis has already noticed changes in the behaviour of some of the students, including better comportment and increased self-esteem. Executive Director of the Digicel Foundation, Samantha Chantrelle, expressed her excitement at handing over this Enrichment Centre to Bridgeport Primary school noting that “The Digicel Foundation is committed to supporting the government’s goal of 100% literacy at the primary school level. We believe that all children have the right to an education that is tailored to their needs and allows them to reach their full potential. Through our Enrichment Initiative we are going to make sure that every child in our programme has that chance.”

AN OASIS FOR STUDENTS