PERMANENT Secretary in the Ministry of Education Elaine Foster-Allen is calling on more educators at the primary level to consider using the A Becka reading curriculum in their classrooms.

According to Foster-Allen, Jamaica does not currently have a “systematically implemented national reading programme”, and as such, the A Becka system is worth modelling in primary level schools until we have an effective reading programme.

Abeka, a curriculum developed by the Pensacola Christian College in the United States, is used by a number of Christian preparatory schools in Jamaica. The reading system employs the use of phonics to introduce reading to children.

Foster-Allen, who was speaking at the launch of the centenary anniversary celebration for Jones Town Primary School on June 26, said numerous schools across the island have been adhering to the guidelines of the traditional reading programmes which their administrators have set, but those programmes are not effective.

The A Becka system, she said, is one of the most suitable methods which will motivate the nation’s non-readers and new readers to progress faster and develop a greater interest in reading at an early age.

“The A Becka reading system, which is a phonics-based system, was the one that we had used with the children from the schools around Shortwood when I was there,” Foster-Allen, who served as the principal of Shortwood Teachers’ College between 2002 and 2012 told Career & Education.

“It is a good system. The A Becka system is a phonics-based system along with real books, so you teach children by getting them to become aware of phonics and they call it phonemic awareness, sounds of words, sounds of letters, and so on. Then [the teachers can] build on that from the base line with real books.”

She said there is better reading performance in the institutions which adopt the curriculum.

“The schools which use the A Becka System are doing very well because it is one of the systems that use the phonemic awareness, phonics and real books,” Foster-Allen said.

Founded in 1913, Jones Town Primary this year celebrates 100 years of existence. The school will, in the coming months, be hosting a series of activities to celebrate.