Reading levels among some primary school students in Barbados have improved significantly following targeted interventions under the Ministry of Education Transformation’s National Literacy Programme.
This was revealed by Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw, who said the programme, which was launched in September 2024, sought to boost reading proficiency among students across the island.
“The percentage of students reading at the primer level [has] increased from 23 per cent to 41 per cent, and a new cohort of 26 per cent of students now reading at the infants B level,” Dr Archer-Bradshaw said as the fourth edition of the children’s author initiative, Make a Book, was launched on Thursday.
“These gains have been supported by structured, evidence-based interventions, including systematic phonics instruction.”
She explained that the improvements were recorded among a sample of students across the island who were part of targeted interventions.
“We did some interventions with a sample of students across Barbados, and they showed this increase in terms of reading.”
Dr Archer-Bradshaw added that the focus was on ensuring students are reading at the appropriate level, particularly in the early years.
“We had looked across infants A and infants B. We want to make sure that these children can read at their level.”
The gains were supported by targeted measures, including the training of more than 587 teachers in structured literacy approaches, as well as the introduction of a daily 35-minute reading period in all primary schools, Dr Archer-Bradshaw said.
“We call it time to soar, time to strengthen our ability to read… The programme in general has reached over 6 400 students across 82 schools in Barbados. This demonstrates scale and impact and the ministry’s efforts when it comes to making sure that our children have a solid start.”
She explained that the Make a Book project represents the next phase of that push, moving students beyond literacy acquisition into content creation.
“The Make a Book project builds directly on this strengthened foundation by extending literacy from the acquisition of knowledge to the application and the creation.
“As students develop their reading and writing skills through these structured programmes, this initiative provides the essential next step, which is transforming our students from just being learners to being creators.”
The chief education officer also pointed to strong male participation in the initiative, describing it as a notable shift.
“What is very interesting also about this initiative is the fact that it is targeting all students, but the demographic of male students being the ones who produced a lot of work is remarkable. I love that male students accounted for 62 per cent of the submissions, reflecting a meaningful shift in participation.”
Broader education reform efforts are also supporting improved literacy outcomes, Dr Archer-Bradshaw added.
“You know that as part of the education transformation agenda we are reviewing curricula, we are strengthening literacy outcomes, we are equipping our teachers with the knowledge, the attitudes, and the skills to be effective within the classroom.”
The goal is to create learning experiences that extend beyond examinations and into real life, while empowering students to find their voice, she said.
“We want to create meaningful, authentic learning experiences that not only prepare our students for exams but {also] prepare our students for everyday life. These students are telling their stories, they’re discovering their voices, they’re developing identity, confidence, and agency. They’re recognising what they think, why they’re thinking it, what they feel, and what they are creating is actually of value.
“So students, today we celebrate you. Your voices matter, your stories matter, and your ideas indeed matter. You are pioneers in this new model of learning.” (LG)
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