CATEGORY:EDUCATION ------------------------ By Wallace J.A Inside Grenada correspondent Saturday January 06,2007 GRENADA -The Ministry of Education’s Learning Enhancement Programme (LEP) resumes today at 19 centers throughout the tri-island state. The programme is designed for students of the lower secondary forms who need to improve their academic performances in the areas of ‘Literacy’ and ‘Numeracy.’ It is the view of many educators on the island that several students entering the secondary school system today are very weak in the areas of Language Arts and Mathematics – two of the core subjects taught in local schools. An inability to perform well in these two areas will invariably affect students’ performances in the other subject areas which make-up the schools’ curriculum. We now live in an audio-visual age which has made reading somewhat dull and unappealing to many students (who are attracted to the television sets, computers and other technological advances). The LEP (it is believed) should be able to assist students in making the much-needed learning adjustments. Some students who will be attending the LEP were recommended by their teachers while others were selected after a comprehensive analysis was done following a diagnostic test which was administered to them. These students are expected to receive specialized, individual attention from some of the nation’s more competent teachers in the areas of Literacy and Numeracy. The students are not expected to pay for the instructions that they would be receiving. Many teachers throughout the island’s schools are encouraging parents and guardians of students who were selected for the programme to send the children to the learning centers so that hey can receive the assistance they need. This will help to improve their over all academic performance, their level of achievement and most importantly, encourage them to assume greater responsibility for their own learning. It is hoped that this initiative of the Ministry of Education will go a long way in addressing the academic shortcomings of many students in the lower secondary department of schools throughout the country.