Ministry of Education

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Jamaican-born internationally recognised educator, Dr. Avis Glaze, addresses the 2009 Hampton School prize giving ceremony held at the institution in St. Elizabeth on November 15.

Jamaican-born educator, Dr. Avis Glaze, is calling on the Government to implement measures to tackle literacy challenges, noting that the country can only achieve sustained economic development by having a highly literate population.

"Literacy has an impact on economic growth and the future prosperity of a country," said Dr. Glaze, who is known as an international leader in the field of education.

Citing statistics from Canada, she said that "a mere one per cent gain in literacy and numeracy creates a permanent increase of CAN$18.4 billion per year in the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). We do know that investment in capital leads to economic growth and low levels of literacy skills contribute to unemployment and other problems."

Dr. Glaze, who is President of Edu-quest International and a Hampton alumnus, was delivering the keynote address at the 2009 prize giving ceremony of the Hampton School in St. Elizabeth on November 15.

The educator, author and researcher, who has received several international awards for her work in education in Canada and other parts of the world, noted that literacy holds the key for personal development, and improving one's life chances.

"It is a primary means of empowerment. It is the gateway to all future learning, personal achievement and social mobility; it creates a more level playing field," she pointed out.

"We must be the generation that will help to stamp out illiteracy in our world. Excellence is never an accident; it is always the result of focussed attention, sincere effort, and intelligent, skilful execution. It represents wise choices among many alternatives," she added.

She stressed the need "for us to recognize the interconnectedness among a good education system, the individuals it produces, and the development of the kind of society we want. An educated citizenry is the lifeblood of democracy. Our society is therefore dependent on the rich resource of human capital which is nurtured by a good education system."

A former Ontario Education Commissioner, Dr. Glaze is one of Canada's outstanding educators. As Ontario's first Chief Student Achievement Officer and founding Chief Executive Officer of the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, she played a pivotal role in improving student achievement in Ontario schools.

Edu-quest International provides strong supports for educators in order to provide the best possible education and learning outcomes for students. The group also works with non-profit and business organisations to devise and implement strategies to ensure continuous improvement.

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