In another attempt to strengthen the educational standards of youth around the island, the National Association of Domino Bodies (NADB) has turned its focus to the basic school level by launching its new programme “Decode” at the Marie Atkins Basic School in Waterhouse yesterday.

Humbert Davis, first vice-president of NADB, said that this move is a continuation of the thrust to develop and improve the students learning abilities as his association’s main aim is to build the nation through children and by starting at the basic school level .

“It seemed as if we are not getting things right and so we have to make a new transition in life. We are going for a more critical thinking and so we have to start at the base and move up. If we are to move forward, we have to go back and start at the base and the base is at basic school.

“This programme surrounds the concepts information, transportation, transformation, occupation and education. So what we are doing is starting from the very bottom going up the top. Once we can see these children learning from the grass-root level coming up the it will be help tremendously in their development,” Davis told the Jamaica Observer.

Tamara Satchell-Campbell, principal at the Marie Atkins Basic School, welcomed this move from the NADB.

“We have met Mr Davis a month ago, but I had heard about him and his programme from Balmagie Primary School. Since he came here everything has been great and wonderful and the children are learning. The most important thing is that, they [children] want to learn.

“We have a student who selects who he wants to talk to and so getting through to him had been difficult. But when Mr Davis is here, that student has been participating in everything. You give him a work to colour and would just sit there, but when Mr Davis said draw, I don’t know if it is magic he has but that boy just comes alive,” Satchell-Campbell said.

At the end of the launch, the students were presented with Eyepad Printers.

— Ruddy Allen