The Editor, Sir:

With increased talks about performance in the high schools in Jamaica and more specifically, the non-traditional high schools, I want to make a recommendation that may ease some of the burdens on the schools, especially regarding the literacy problem.

It is almost impossible for every child to leave primary school literate, so why not continue dealing with the literacy problem in the high schools in a more organised way? I know that the schools have reading teachers; but two reading teachers cannot handle 1,200 students; it is impossible.

With this in mind, I think the ministry needs to have a mandatory after-school programme where children who are identified with a literacy problem attend.

The ministry could now train teachers, especially those teachers in the English department of the school, since they have some level of training in this area already.

After these teachers are trained, then they could use them to teach these children, of course at a cost to the students or the ministry.

I am, etc.,

STACIE

win_gy22@yahoo.com