Holness encourages parents to help their children to read

Parents and residents with cellphones in hand lined the corridors at the St Joseph’s Infant School in downtown, Kingston as Prime Minister Andrew Holness made his way to participate in the school's Read Across Jamaica Day.

The special day is used to encourage literacy.

In his address, Holness said there is a misconception among parents that once their children begin to speak they are also able to read.

He said it is critical that parents ensure that their children move beyond counting words towards understanding basic concepts.

“One thing I discovered when I was minister of education and being a younger member of parliament at the time is that parents take it for granted that their children can read. Once they hear their kids speak, then they assume that the child can read,” he said.

“That’s not the case, reading is actually a learned skill and you have to be very involved in the development of that skill with your child,” he added.

The school's principal Rosemarie Clarke said the institution will continue to highlight the importance of reading to students and their parents. 

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