We are failing our boys on literacy

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Here lie the remains of literacy. The writing has been on the wall for quite a while. The interventions have been varied; however, the education system continues to fail our boys. Sadly, the society is paying dearly for this consensual failure.

Literacy is much more than the calling of words. The failure to which stems from the fact that many of us are not reading. The proliferation of social media has also added a nail into the coffin.

Unfortunately, too many of our students continue to struggle with the basics, from filling out a job application form to constructing a simple sentence. We cannot solely place all the blame on the students. It is rather unfortunate that the positive behaviour to which our students should aspire is not seen a lot. Our students do not have enough examples of adults reading in order to model such behaviours. Boys particularly continue to lag behind the girls in literacy, and regrettably, boys who display an aptitude for scholastic achievement are often ridiculed and their sexuality challenged. The society has unwittingly embraced and reinforced a culture which dictates to boys that reading is anti-masculine. This apathy towards reading must be addressed urgently as we continue to send conflicting views along gendered lines regarding how success is defined.

‘DE-FEMINISE’ THE EDUCATION SYSTEM

We need to create safe spaces for boys in order to engage them more meaningfully. We also need to revisit how we ascribe and contribute ‘successes to those endeavours which education is not necessarily a factor. The (undervalued) social currency which is used to determine success needs to be revalued. There is a need to revisit and “de-feminise” the education system, which, as is, serves as a deterrent to the holistic development of males. Male underperformance and underachievement, if not addressed urgently, are likely to see the spread of hyper-masculinity.

There need to be more creative ways concerning literacy intervention especially targeting, maybe establishing a ‘National Men’s Day for Reading’, where male educators would be in charge of all classes on that day.

In schools where there are few male teachers, the parent teachers’ associations can encourage fathers and other males to participate in reading exercises. We can partner with other stakeholders, such as barbershops, in order to inspire and motivate boys to read more, and perhaps place books there to encourage reading. Corporate Jamaica and Jamaicans in the diaspora can participate by encouraging them to donate books and magazines. There is an urgent need to think outside the box, encourage reading and rescue our boys.

WAYNE CAMPBELL

waykam@yahoo.com