Profiles: Heroes, Role Models and Pioneers of Trinidad and Tobago - by Nasser Khan

94 PAULA LUCIE-SMITH (1960- ) P aula Lucie-Smith is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Adult Literacy Tutors Association, ALTA, an organisation which identified a big social problem of illiteracy in Trinidad and Tobago, and the West Indies, and has taken steps to deal with it. She attended St Joseph’s Convent, Port of Spain,WarwickUniversity, and the University of Leicester in England where she obtained a first degree in History, and a Certificate in Education. She started her career as a high-school teacher in Trinidad but it was after two years, she began teaching an adult literacy class of about 20 people as a volunteer. In 1992, ALTA was formed to offer free literacy training to adults, and to train literacy tutors. ALTA’s programmes have since grown in number and spread across the country and region. Classes are offered at 50 venues throughout Trinidad and Tobago, 59 tutor training courses have been run, andALTA has partnered with Servol, the Ministry of Education, the National Library of Trinidad & Tobago, and the prison system. The organisation has also been invited to conduct literacy training in Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Antigua and Barbuda. ALTA’s mission has expanded from literacy to include teaching life skills and building communities. Between 1996 and 2001, Mrs. Lucie-Smith wrote and edited three series of textbooks: the ALTAAdult Workbook Series, the ALTA Beginner Series, and 18 ALTA Predictable Books. • 2001: Trinidad Hummingbird Medal Gold • ALTA selected as a “model for replication worldwide” by UNESCO • 2012: Selected by The Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence