ST JAMES, Jamaica (JIS) — The Ministry of Education’s National Mathematics Programme has been having a huge impact on the Green Island Primary School in Hanover, says principal of the institution, Vascianna Mosley.

Mosley told JIS News that despite the school being one of Hanover’s high performers in the area of literacy with 85 per cent mastery, it has had a problem with numeracy at the grade-four level. Notwithstanding, he said the score now stands at 60 per cent mastery in the Grade Four Numeracy Test, which he described as “tremendous growth” from where the school was initially.

“Numeracy is a national problem. Since numeracy was a problem, last year we were given a mathematics coach for the entire year, and she worked wonders. Interestingly, because of the performance, last year we were given the certificate (signifying) where we had exceeded the expectations of the Ministry,” Mosley told JIS News.

“What she did was to sit in the classes and observe how lessons are taught. She did workshops with the teachers to sensitise them to different techniques that they can use in teaching. She literally participated in the teaching-learning process, so she did not only tell us what to do, she showed us how to do it, so, that is working,” he added.

Mosley also lauded the Education Officers of Region Four of the Ministry of Education, who are only a “text message away” whenever guidance on education matters is being sought.

Education Officers are responsible for ensuring that educational policies, programmes and support services are delivered in each region under the governance of the School Boards.

They are also responsible for training schools and providing guidance in the interpretation and use of examination data and for initiating the development of tools and techniques for the effective and efficient delivery of educational services.

“The Education Officers visit on a regular basis. They ensure that everything goes well in terms of administration, the performance on a daily basis and how the plant is being managed. They are doing a very good job, and what I like about them is that they supervise us, but they are so very professional,” Mosley said.

“We have direct communication with them. There is a WhatsApp group that hosts all the principals in the clusters that the Education Officer works. Best practices are always discussed, and so it is easy for you to see or hear what other persons are doing and you can use aspects, based on the culture of your school,” he added.

Mosley also acknowledged the work of his “strongest maths teachers”, who are used as “specialised teachers” to aid other teachers to impart certain concepts to the students.

He likened the parents to a pillar of strength, adding that they have been extremely supportive in their contributions to the school and were strong supporters of the parent-teacher association and other school-related activities.

“Partnership with the parents may be our strongest area, because at the end of the day, these kids will be going home to their parents; and when they leave school, it is now the parents’ responsibility, and I can’t overemphasise that,” he said.