The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on children’s learning, well being, and imagination, around the world. In Jamaica, thousands of children, from some of the most vulnerable households were directly impacted with significant learning loss. The recently launched Jamaica Education Transformation Committee (JETC) Report confirmed that “almost 60 per cent of students were failing mathematics, that 33 per cent could not read, that 56 per cent could not write, and 60 per cent exhibited difficulty in comprehension.”
Children’s families have suffered great personal and financial challenges and they have been unattached to formal learning spaces. The outcome is a reduction in reading. In a knowledge-based economy, this can set the goals of growth, peace, and prosperity for families, communities, and countries back by generations. The time for action is now.
GCF responded by collaborating with literacy heroes and partners in Jamaica to support Education Week and Read Across Jamaica. Our efforts include community discussions on enhancing literacy and fostering a passion for reading, as well as author-led events involving educators, youth leaders, and caregivers. Additionally, we offer two intergenerational and interracial reading spaces.
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