Georgetown, Guyana – (September 17, 2018) First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger’s Youth Development Initiative (YDI) at the Lusignan Primary School has resulted in improved literacy and numeracy skills among attendees. The First Lady, today, attended the school’s graduation exercise for students who participated in a remedial programme and thanked the teachers for their dedication and commitment to the children. She said based on the levels of improvement made, the students who benefited from the programme will continue to excel as they have grasped the discipline of learning.
“It is only through education that we will be able to move forward, and I want you to take that very, very seriously,” Mrs. Granger told the students. “I’m thankful to hear that there have been improvements, which is the aim of this program and I am sure that our graduands will make us proud at their new high schools, because they have learnt the discipline of learning”.
While the YDI is a success the First Lady noted the challenge of parents enrolling their children in private lessons after the teachers at the school would have worked hard to improve the literacy and numeracy skills of the said students. However, she was quick to state that the challenge faced by teachers at the Lusignan Primary School is also experienced in Buxton.
Head Teacher, Ms. Michelle Barton said the remedial classes have helped to improve the performance of the students at the school and has made a tremendous impact at her school.
Meanwhile, Coordinator of the YDI Programme at the Lusignan Primary School, Ms. Nicola Halloway, said most of the students who were enrolled in the programme have improved significantly and have moved from “unsatisfactory to satisfactory” performances.
Ms. Halloway disclosed that 85 percent of the students who sat this year’s National Grade Six Assessment Examination benefitted from the remedial programme. Notwithstanding a few challenges, Ms. Halloway called on the First Lady to continue the program as she believes it is assisting the school in enhancing the literacy and numeracy skills of its students.
Ms Krisanna Singh was adjudged the best graduating student. She secured 489 marks at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment Examinations and is now attending the Annandale Secondary School. Krisanna started the program during the July/August vacation period in 2017. “I was very disappointed that I had to spend my vacation at school, however this feeling quickly changed to excitement since I realised that the program involved games, craft, yummy snacks, field trips in addition to the much needed push in the area of academics,” Singh stated.
Krisanna’s mother, Ms. Radha Hardial, told the Ministry of the Presidency’s Public Information and Press Services Unit that she was pleased with her daughter’s development and she believes that other parents should take the opportunity and let their children attend the remedial classes.
“I’m very overwhelmed that she was successful,” Ms Hardial said adding “I believe in the initiative that First Lady would have brought to the school and I think more parents should be involved and give their children an opportunity to attend the classes.”
The Lusignan YDI started on October 2, 2016 and caters for at risk learners from, grades 2-6. The children are tutored for an extra hour after school three days weekly. The school’s program has five teachers, who tutor the students in small classes so that they receive the requisite attention needed to succeed.
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