EDITORIAL
We commend the organisers of the “YES, I CAN” Literacy Programme and say quickly that we do hope that this one is not does not fall through the floor as have previous similar programmes, in the history of education in this dear country of ours.
Mrs. Paula Lucie-Smith from “ALTA” (Adult Literacy Tutors’ Association) in Trinidad and Tobago is a Specialist in Adult Literacy. Some years ago she led a 4-member team of facilitators to Grenada to train prospective Tutors of Adult Literacy Courses in a 5-day workshop. This workshop was held at NEWLO in Palmiste, St. John when Mrs. Ann David-Antoine was Executive Director.
Approximately fifty tutors were trained, after which certificates were distributed and the Grenada Adult Literacy Tutors’ Association (GALTA) was launched. Subsequently, another workshop was conducted at ART Centre on Marrast Hill, again facilitated by a team led by Mrs. Paula Lucie-Smith and the GALTA family was extended to well over one hundred trained Tutors. Mrs. Lucie-Smith also left a quantity of material including books, tutorials and tapes.
Several Adult Literacy Tutorial classes were organized and working well throughout Grenada, somewhat similar to the Centre for Popular Education (CPE) adult education programmes during the reign of the People’s Revolutionary Government between march 1979 and October 1983.
About four months ago Mrs. Lucie-Smith was on 7.30 AM radio in Trinidad on a morning call-in programme for a whole hour talking and answering questions from callers about Adult Literacy in the twin-island Republic. During that session she mentioned some of the islands, including Grenada, where she led teams to conduct workshops. She keeps in constant contact with these islands but she admitted that she did not know what was happening in Grenada since the passage of the hurricanes. All who participated in the workshops, whether as organizers or as trainees, may wish to express the same concern.
For some time now there has been talk in Grenada about Adult Literacy Tutorials which is a “joint initiative between the Government of Grenada through the Ministry of Education and the Government of Cuba.
One is left to wonder, therefore, what has happened to the Trinidad and Tobago initiative and GALTA, and whether the Cuban initiative is focusing on the prison. The famous “Grenadian Seventeen”, imprisoned at Richmond Hill, is a perfect example of successful tutorials at the prison. Many among them have obtained university degrees in a variety of areas and they were able to assist other inmates in achieving school-leaving and other academic milestones.
The “Yes! I Can” initiative must be highly complemented and encouraged but it implies, at the same time, a failure of previous adult literacy programmes as well as disregarding the wealth of talent and successful attempts within the prison walls. Additionally, the “Yes! I Can” initiative is nothing new to Grenada; it is the same programme which was popularized during the reign of the PRG; the same programme introduced by Mrs. Paula Lucie-Smith as GALTA some years ago; it is only a matter of new covering, new dressing and differing content. In fact, a list of all trained Adult Literacy Tutors should be available from the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Social Services.
As stated earlier, the authorities must be commended, not for starting something new, but for their efforts in restarting the adult literacy engine for a third time. This time it is hoped that the pillars of the foundation would go much, much deeper such that the programme would be more efficacious and durable. Forward ever! Backward never! Long live Adult Literacy Tutorials.
