Read Across Jamaica Day and Beyond

In general terms our students especially our boys are not reading. The current education system is skewed towards girls. Globally, boys often lag behind girls in reading and literacy. Globally, students show that boys reading levels have been declining in recent years, with international assessments, such as the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reporting decline in literacy scores across many countries. The Report of the Jamaica Education Transformation Commission (JETC) chaired by Professor Orlando Patterson stated that most students at the primary level were barely literate. According to the JETC, the 2019 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) exam revealed that 33 per cent of students cannot read or can barely do so; 56 per cent of students cannot, or can barely, write; and 58 per cent of students cannot, or can barely find information on a topic. Reading is not about the pronunciation of words. Reading encompasses comprehending the material. Comprehension of the text is what most students struggle with. Many of us can recall in our childhood being told to go and take up our books after engaging in some unacceptable behaviour. Reading therefore was used as a form of punishment. Many students still view reading as punitive, and how can you blame them? A significant part of the declining reading scores for boys is rooted in the cultural stereotypes that discourage boys from engaging in ‘soft’ subjects. ‘Soft’ subjects are those subjects that rely heavily on reading such as History, English Literature and English Language. In other words ‘soft’ subjects are academic disciplines often perceived as less rigorous than ‘hard’ subjects such as Mathematics and Physics. Kurt opines consistent reading fosters a profound enrichment of the mind, sharpening our mental processes and our ability to articulate knowledge. It provides the diverse cultural perspectives that collectively "make the man." Simply put: the more we read, the more we become. Kurt argues that boys tend to be at a significant deficit. Statistically, girls outperform boys at almost every level of the education system not only in Jamaica but globally. Reading habits and comprehension are no exception to this trend. While girls often gravitate towards fiction and magazines, boys frequently prefer comics, heavily illustrated books, or non-fiction. Furthermore, a cultural perception labels reading as a "feminine" activity, which subtly discourages boys from reading for either pleasure or deep understanding. Sadly, Read Across Jamaica Day has become a media bliss. Ironically, the day is usually observed in Education Week. Those readers who turn up at various educational institutions feel good about themselves, while many students in their presence are unable to decipher letter sounds. What happens after the cameras are silent? What happens to the hundreds of struggling or non-readers in our schools? Who cares? Each academic year hundreds of students enter secondary schools unprepared to interface with the National Standards Curriculum. Our schools for the most part lack resources and therefore it is rather easy to return to the roller coaster method, after all that is the zone of comfort and complacency. Read Across Jamaica Day has become a sanitized and choreographed event. Gender Specific Intervention and Literacy. In an AI-driven world where "bite-sized information" is the norm, we must remember that boys often learn at a different pace and through different stimuli such as visual and illustrative content than their female counterparts. Therefore we must meet them where they are to ensure they are not left behind. Gender inequality is a two-sided sword. Historically, women have borne the brunt of systemic discrimination, boys too have been disadvantaged. The current education is a prime example of how boys are negatively impacted by the rigid gender norms and expectations. The disconnect and disengagement of our boys from the education systems stems from the fact that boys and men also experience gender-based discrimination. Many boys view their school experience as feminine. Disturbingly, boys who display school smarts are often ridiculed as effeminate by peers and even adults in areas where academic excellence by males is typically devalued. Boys are sentenced to sit in a classroom for between 5 to 6 years daily. Given that most boys are tactile learners this method of having boys confined to a classroom space runs geometrically counter to how boys are wired to learn. Purposeful gender equality means interrogating and dismantling destructive stereotypes and structures for all genders. Solutions. An inclusive education system must be responsive to the needs of all students. We need to create safe spaces for boys in order to engage them more meaningfully. We also need to revisit how we ascribe and contribute successes to those endeavours which education is not necessarily a factor. The (undervalued) social currency which is used to determine success needs to be revalued. Too many of our students are invested in the glorification of the ‘dunce’ culture and this is problematic. There is a need to revisit and “de-feminise” the education system, which, as is, serves as a deterrent to the holistic development of males. Male underperformance and underachievement, if not addressed urgently, are likely to see the spread of hyper-masculinity. Kurt offers the following solutions to the deficit regarding reading among boys. He posits that the education system in general should especially target boys who have difficulty reading, using targeted sessions where they learn together with their male peers in controlled classrooms. This approach would allow for greater interaction with the reading material. Kurt believes that publishing houses should consider the use of graphics to ensure textbooks are more visually pleasing to boys and will peak their interest in what they read. The incorporation of activities that includes some physical movement, use of audio / visual content to hold their attention to the subject matter. Literacy empowerment must be consistent and intentional. In the words of Kate DiCamillo, reading should not be presented to children as a chore or duty. It should be offered to them as a precious gift. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. Email: waykam@yahoo.com. Kurt Hickling is a former educator who is now working with the Charlotte Area Transit System. Email: kurthickling@gmail.com. ©