A major review of Jamaica’s education system has concluded that, notwithstanding some challenges, notable successes have been recorded.
The country ranks among the top 20 per cent of nations globally in their share of allocations earmarked in the national budget annually for the sector.
Read Full Article
Jamaica has a Creditable Education System
The Jamaica Education Transformation Commission’s (JETC) review of the academic system notes that despite a few inadequacies, the high performance of the top 10 per cent of schools islandwide demonstrates the possibilities for the sector.
Among the successes highlighted in the Report of the Professor Orlando Patterson-led Commission are:
Jamaica being among the top 20 per cent of nations in the share of their national budgets earmarked for the sector annually.
The country having one of the highest levels of pre-primary student enrolments globally.
Universal access to education for all children of primary school age
and the majority of adolescents.
The top secondary schools compare with the best in the world.
The University of the West Indies (UWI) producing women and men of the highest calibre, with over 25 graduates having become either Heads of Government or State; two of the three Nobel Laureates of Caribbean descent also have direct ties to the UWI.
The Report further noted that since the UWI’s 2018 debut in Times Higher Education’s prestigious rankings, it has consistently performed well in multiple schemes. These include: the World University Rankings, Golden Age University Rankings (50 to 80 age group student enrolments), Latin America Rankings and the Impact Rankings.
The Report indicates that these and other successes best indicate “how highly we prioritise education”.
The Commission also underscores the efforts to effectively address underlying issues within the sector, pointing out that “successive governments have, with admirable bipartisanship, devoted increasing attention and resources to its development”.
