Power of phonics helps children with skills

THE power of phonics has proven to help children read and write and creates powerful competitive skills in a child’s mind at an early stage, a company’s officer says.
Beatrice Mahuru, who is Digicel PNG Foundation chief executive officer, said that during the Isi Learning Teacher Training Programme graduation last week.
The programme witnessed 68 teachers from schools at Gerehu’s Unity Gospel Foursquare Church as part of Digicel PNG Foundation’s project.
With the programme in partnership with Digicel PNG Foundation on pre-school teacher development training in the country, there are now 35 community learning centre schools in the National Capital District, Central and Gulf.
Mahuru said the teachers coming from the provinces had been diligent in imparting what they learned in the programme to their students and they had seen changes in their students’ learning capacity. 
“Children who have come through these programmes and gone to formal schools have actually skipped grades and performed as the top 20 students in their own schools,” she said. NCD Governor Powes Parkop, who was present at the event, said the importance of early childhood learning could not be undervalued any longer. Parkop said  it was time the Education Department recognised the efforts of the programme so that benefits were provided for the teachers as well.