KINGSTON, Jamaica— People’s National Party (PNP) spokesman on finance and the public service, Julian Robinson, has listed addressing what he described as the alarming state of foundational literacy and numeracy among Jamaica’s young people as one of the major targets of his party when it returns to Government.

Addressing the public session of the PNP’s 86th annual conference on Sunday, Robinson argued that if the system is not fixed at the early childhood level, building science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) schools as proposed by the present Government will be a waste of time.

“If we fail to address this, all the STEM schools we build, and all the skills training we provide through HEART, will be built on sand,” said Robinson.

“Educational reform must go deeper. We cannot start with advanced learning when far too many of our children and young adults are not even reading or doing basic arithmetic at the required levels. There must be a comprehensive national effort to ensure that every child leaves primary school with a strong grasp of literacy and numeracy,” added Robinson.

He told comrades that investing in primary education, in early childhood development, is what will make the greatest impact on Jamaica’s future.

“We must retrain our teachers, revamp our curricula, and ensure that classrooms are equipped with the resources needed to deliver world-class education. Only then will we be able to transition effectively to the higher levels of learning and training that are essential for the value-added sectors we wish to dominate,” said Robinson.