HEAVY rains associated with the passage of Hurricane Dennis has caused a three-day postponement of the Ministry of Education’s Enhanced Summer Literacy Remediation Programme, previously scheduled to start on Monday, July 11.

The camps will now commence on Wednesday and end July 29.

The education ministry said it was trying to identify the schools, originally slated for use as exam centres, which were affected by the hurricane or were being used as shelters.

“We want principals to call in to the regional offices to say whether the schools will be ready or not,” said Dorette Campbell, the ministry’s communications director.

Also postponed is the annual Jamaica School Certificate exam, originally scheduled for July 11. It will now take place on July 18.

Approximately 12,000 grade nine students take the JSC annually.

In the case of the literacy programme, the ministry has selected 1,500 low or non-performers in the recent Grade Four Literacy Test for placement in six residential camps, one in each region.

Another 11,000 who failed to master the grade four curriculum will take remedial lessons in summer school camps at more than 500 schools islandwide.

The literacy programme, one of the recommendations of the Education Task Force, seeks to improve the literacy skills of more than 40 per cent of students who fail to master the test, held in May each year.

The test evaluates students’ ability to recognise words, read and understand simple stories, factual texts, directions, lists and tables. It also checks their abilities to write simple stories, reports and letters.

Over the three-week period they will undergo visual, audio and behavioural testing to identify their learning difficulties and will again be tested at the end of the camp.

A special feature of the programme will see some parents/guardians receiving counselling and training to be able to better assist their children and improve their performance.