93 of every 100 students in SVG not reading at required level — Jackson

Only seven of every 100 primary school students in St. Vincent and the Grenadines are reading and writing at the required level, says opposition candidate for Marriaqua, Phillip Jackson.

“I’m not making these up. These are hidden in the government’s Education Statistical Digest,” Jackson said at a New Democratic Party (NDP) campaign event in Mt Pleasant.

He stated that the government has refused to release the latest statistics, despite the report being compiled a year ago.

“… every time I call the officer, he say, ‘Cabinet ain’t decide to release it yet.’ … It’s Cabinet data? Our education data belongs to us,” Jackson said.

He said the people have a right to know what is really going on.

“We cannot build a powerful Marriaqua, we cannot build a powerful St. Vincent if only seven out of every 100 students are reading and writing at the level they’re supposed to be

“That is a big fat failure. So when they always come in and bragging, bragging, education revolution, education revolution, they’re hiding the facts from you.”

Jackson, a former teacher, said an NDP administration will ensure that we have the right type of leadership that says that no child should get to Grade 6 without being able to read and write properly before going to secondary school.

“How could you have children spending seven years in primary school and still have the gall to send them to high school, unprepared for high school, and then brag about it. That’s not something to brag about. That’s something to be properly ashamed of.”

Jackson said an NDP administration will make sure that no child gets left behind.

“We’ll make sure that we hold everyone responsible for our children accountable. We will remind them that it is the NDP policy that our students should be able to read and write by the time they get to grade 5, so they can take full advantage of secondary school education.”

He said this is proper leadership, rather than “just going and talking off the top of your head and say, ‘education revolution’, when the figures show a difference”.

Jackson said an NDP administration will also focus on skills.

“Most of you know, if you take something for somebody to fix, more than likely, what you pay them is more than what you walk for in an office in a day,” he said, making the point that there is money in the trades.

“… skills are important, and you can have a good standard of living with skills. Team NDP would make sure that we focus on making sure our young people have the type of skills they need for a modern economy to take care of themselves, have a good standard of living and take good care of their family,” Jackson said.