A Jamaican Movement for the Advancement of Literacy (JAMAL) programme in Kingston in 1974 (Photo courtesy of Paul Burke) The fourth instalment in a series giving snippets of life in Jamaica 50 years ago. With September 8 celebrated as International Literacy Day, not many in Jamaica’s Generation Y are aware that 50 years ago, 500,000 people in their country struggled to read or write. To combat this, the Government launched the Jamaican Movement for the Advancement of Literacy (JAMAL) in October 1974. JAMAL replaced the National Literacy Programme that was established in September 1972 by Prime Minister Michael Manley’s Administration which came to power in February that year. Its objective was to eradicate illiteracy, especially among people in their 40s, 50s and 60s.
These volunteer teachers were then deployed to remote areas, where they faced unique challenges like limited resources, lack of infrastructure, and a shortage of qualified teachers. The Ministry of Education’s initiative aimed to address the issue of teacher shortages in remote areas. This initiative was a response to the growing concern about the lack of access to quality education in these regions.
It was designed to address the reading/writing issues affecting Jamaican workers. The JAMAL curriculum was developed by Dr. Eric Burke, a Jamaican educational consultant, in 1970. The curriculum focused on improving literacy skills, specifically targeting those with challenges in reading and writing. The JAMAL curriculum was implemented in Jamaica, starting with a pilot project in 1970.
Because of the stigma associated with illiteracy, many JAMAL students were wary about ridicule. “There were people who would not go to classes in their community. There were people in Rockfort who would go to a literary class in Half-Way-Tree, Vineyard Town or Papine,” said Burke, who believes JAMAL began paying dividends three years after its launch. “You could see it in the graduations which were a big thing. There was one graduation at Twickenham Park, I think in 1977, where nearly 1,000 people graduated.” When the PNP lost the 1980 General Election to the Jamaica Labour Party, there were fears the programme would be discontinued. However, Prime Minister Edward Seaga chose to keep JAMAL, but agreed with his Education Minister Mavis Gilmour to reduce government input and commit more resources to the primary school system.
The Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFL) was established in 2006, replacing the JAMAL program. The JFL, like JAMAL, aimed to provide access to education and training opportunities for Jamaicans. However, the JFL’s approach differed significantly from JAMAL’s.
