New CAPRI study calls for education reform

The Jamaican education system needs to take steps to reform its financing, tackle school dropouts, and advance accountability in order to improve its performance, a new study from the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) has proposed.

The report, dubbed the 2025 Jamaica Education Report Card, is also urging policymakers to strengthen early childhood education and appeal to teachers through bonus-incentive programmes to make the education system worthwhile.

The study, conducted in partnership with the Inter-American Dialogue (IAD) and the Postgraduate Center for Research & Intelligence (PCRI), is the first comprehensive assessment of Jamaica’s education system in more than a decade.

It evaluated the performance of the education system across eight areas, including learning outcomes, coverage, staying in school, equity, the teaching profession, and financing.

However, lead researcher from CAPRI Peter Granston noted at the presentation of findings held on Wednesday at The University of the West Indies, Mona, that the grades Jamaica received were “not ideal”.

He pointed to the stark reality that only 13 of every 100 students leave secondary school with qualifications to move on to higher education.

“If so many of our nation’s children are not benefiting from the system, we need to take a deeper look at what is happening. You see, education is thought to be Jamaica’s pathway to mobility, equity, and growth. Yet the stats prove different, that this isn’t true for everyone,” he said.

STATISTICS

He highlighted further that while primary enrolment is nearly universal, coverage becomes fragile beyond this stage. One in five secondary-age children is not enrolled, with upper secondary consistently lagging behind lower secondary. At the tertiary level, coverage is especially low. Only 20 per cent of young adults aged 19 to 24 are enrolled, leaving 80 per cent outside higher education.

He noted that the poorest households lag behind, and children from wealthier families are most likely to attend higher-quality institutions.

He noted that this sharply reduces the opportunities for advanced skill development and employment.

“Many students from poorer households disengage because of cost, family responsibilities, or lack of support,” he said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic worsened disengagement, and despite re-engagement efforts, gaps still remained.

The digital divide continues, he stated, as lower-income families rely mainly on tablets or shared devices while higher-income households have access to laptops, desktops, and steady connectivity, giving their children a lasting advantage.

“When it comes to children with disabilities, they face the steepest barrier, with many schools lacking adapted facilities, trained (special education) teachers or appropriate learning resources. The chance of these children having equitable access and resources is slim,” he said.

The study also revealed disparities geographically as well where urban schools are often overcrowded and some rural schools are underutilised and lack the resources to offer quality programmes.

“These disparities confirm that not all children benefit equally. For too many, background and circumstance still determine how far they progress and what outcomes they’ll achieve,” he said.

CONCERNING PATTERNS

Although Jamaica was lauded for contributing up to five per cent of GDP towards education, “there are concerning patterns with a return on investment”, Granston stated.

Early childhood education remains underfunded, despite being the stage most critical for long-term learning. He noted that heavy reliance on private institutions means that poorer families bear disproportionate costs.

Vivienne Johnson, deputy chief education officer, Planning and Development Division in the Ministry of Education, Youth, Skills and Information, stated that up to 80 per cent of early childhood institutions are privately owned. However, she said that the ministry is currently in the process of increasing their involvement in this area.

“One of the things that is taking place is ensuring that you have more conversion of the basic schools into infant schools. But because they are privately owned, we are having the dialogue,” she said.

She noted, however, that there is often reluctance on the part of the owners as they will no longer be able to charge fees when the school is taken over by the ministry. She revealed, too, that the ministry is also converting schools that were previously all-age institutions to primary and infant schools.

Granston, in the meantime, is calling for the Government to implement a weighted funding formula, which allocates educational funds to schools based on the specific needs of the student population they serve rather than a flat, “one-size-fits-all” approach.

“Unless financing is reshaped to address inequities and resources are directed to where it needs to be the most, Jamaicans risk receiving insufficient returns given the significant investments,” he said.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com