The US Peace Corps in the Eastern Caribbean, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the OECS, and USAID recently hosted a primary literacy workshop.

The three-day workshop will include informative sessions, exposés and insightful discussions between the counterpart teachers and Peace Corps volunteers working to improve literacy education in the Caribbean.

Now in its sixth year of collaboration with the OECS, the US Peace Corps has conducted baseline assessments on 7239 students in grades one to three.

Leonette Jn Pierre, the Regional Training Manager for Peace Corps Eastern Caribbean, said: “The workshop is intended to have the volunteers and their counterparts hone their primary literacy skills to respond to the needs of children in grades one to three in infant and primary schools. Our aim throughout this workshop is to ensure that the participants leave with a wealth of knowledge, information strategies, and best practices that they can employ at their schools to ensure that students are able to make an improvement in their literacy skills.”

Lisa Sargusingh-Terrance, Reading Specialist attached to the OECS Education Management Development Unit, expressed gratitude towards the Peace Corps and volunteers for their collaboration in ensuring that students receive the best quality of education.

“Better literacy instruction is the key to improving children’s lives into adulthood,” she said. “We at the OECS Commission believe that every learner can succeed. We know that this can also be attained through very sound evidenced-based literacy programs. The OECS is confident that we are creating synergies through such experiences, and that education in the region is addressed in a collaborative manner with partners like the US Peace Corps.”

The workshop commenced on March 27, and culminated on March 29.