ALTA TECH MISSION VISITS EDUCATION MINISTER
Basseterre, St. Kitts: A technical mission from the Adult Literacy Tutors Association (ALTA) paid a courtesy call on Minister of Education, Hon. Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, as part of an ongoing assessment of the implementation and impact of the ALTA Online literacy programme in St. Kitts on Monday, June 15. Dr. Deborah Thomas-Austin, Project Officer at ALTA, highlighted the mission’s purpose and expressed satisfaction with the programme’s growth in St. Kitts.
“I am here representing ALTA to assess the progress you are making with the ALTA Online programme. ALTA Online is an interactive web-based literacy programme that seeks to improveliteracy, and we are starting with primary schools here in St. Kitts. We have been very pleased with the expansion of the programme to sixteen (16) primary schools. We are looking at how the studen ts are performing and hopefully get a chance to visit two of the schools to see how it works in the school and hear from the mentors who are actually implementing the programme to hear about the successes they are having with the children and the challenges, and how we might be able to support St. Kitts in moving forward with the programme.” Hon. Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, Minister of Education, welcomed and thanked Dr. Thomas-Austin for ALTA’s ongoing commitment to literacy development in St. Kitts and Nevis and throughout the region.
“I want to thank you and your team for all that you are doing in St. Kitts and the region, and we look forward to your continued support and your return to St. Kitts, where you will be able to share more, specifically about the improvements. You came, you saw, and you were happy with our improvement, so thank you and welcome.” ALTA Online is an interactive, web-based literacy instruction programme built around Caribbean life-skills content and designed for persons aged nine and older who have low-level reading and spelling skills. The programme is an online adaptation of the literacy curriculum
used in ALTA’s free community classes and Youth Literacy Programme. While transitioning the content to a digital platform, ALTA maintained the proven teaching methods that have contributed to its success in improving literacy outcomes.
Also present at the meeting were Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Mrs. Lisa- Romayne Pistana; Chief Education Officer, Mr. Francil Morris; and Director of the Curriculum Development Unit, Mrs. Amanda Serrant-Edmead.
The Ministry of Education remains committed to working with regional and international partners such as ALTA to enhance literacy instruction and ensure that students are equipped with the foundational skills necessary for lifelong learning and success.
