Stacey Knight, an attorney and educator, has argued for reforming Jamaica’s educational system, referring to it as “educational apartheid” and pointing to notable differences in student outcomes and resource accessibility.
Knight, the PNP’s potential candidate for St. Andrew North East, made the comments on Wednesday during a meeting for educators hosted by the party’s constituency association at Shortwood Teachers’ College in St. Andrew.
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She blasted Jamaica’s current educational system, highlighting a glaring discrepancy between well-resourced institutions that consistently provide high-quality results and the bulk of underfunded schools with low pass rates.
Knight cited the 2021 Education Transformation Commission Report, which was headed by Professor Orlando Patterson, who pointed to a “learning crisis in Jamaica.” According to Knight, a significant portion of high school graduates lack employable skills, and 70% of them graduate without certification.
Knight voiced concerns about pupils’ difficulties with critical thinking and the need to abandon rote learning, citing poor national pass rates of 41% in mathematics, 49% in science, and 55% in language arts. She said that just 28% of pupils who took the 2019 CSEC examinations passed five or more topics, including math and English.
According to Knight, the early infancy stage is where the learning issue originates, along with the disregard for gender differences in learning that has led to girls outperforming boys and a low proportion of male instructors in the system. She also emphasized that Jamaica’s tertiary enrollment rate of 27% is lower than that of similar countries.
Knight stated, “There is a lack of cohesion in the organization of education in Jamaica,” adding, “Poor performers in primary school cannot be expected to become good performers at the secondary level.”
She demanded that early childhood education, technical and vocational training, and inclusive education for those with mental and physical disabilities be improved.
Knight pushed teachers’ colleges to emphasize learner-centered techniques and emotional learning in addition to the standard 3Rs: reading, writing, and math.
At the discussion, Senator Damion Crawford, the PNP’s spokesperson on education, also gave a speech. He demanded that the education budget be realigned, pointing out that 82% of expenditures are allocated to teacher salaries, leaving little money for necessary instructional supplies.
Crawford claimed that although education is ostensibly free, learning is hampered by hidden expenses like food and transportation. Citing Campion College’s 98% success rate in comparison to schools with as low as 1%, he drew attention to the differences in academic achievement.
In addition to raising the existing lunch stipend from $180 to $400, he said the next PNP government will give at least one wholesome meal per pupil every day and provide incentives to recruit instructors to underprivileged rural schools.
