The schools include Old Harbour and Guys Hill, in St Catherine and Black River and Magotty high schools in St Elizabeth.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding made the announcement in Old Harbour last Wednesday while addressing a function to honour 11 retired Old Harbour High School teachers at Arscot Hall.

He said information gathered by the education ministry revealed exceptional academic achievement at these schools.

"I have asked the ministry of education to examine and prepare some documentation on the experiences of these four schools to determine what was done differently why these schools have excelled over the others," Golding told the retired teachers who have chalked up 118 years of teaching experience.

In praising Old Harbour High School teachers and students for their strides in academic performance, Golding said Old Harbour High is an oasis in this desert of failure by producing a level of performance that is better than some of the most "stocious" high schools that have existed for a long time.
"Old Harbour High School is counted as one of the miracles. The others being Guys Hill, Black River and Magotty that have been different from the rest. They have defied the contemporary trend and have demonstrated that you don't have to be at KC (Kingston College) and a Wolmer's, (or) Immaculate to perform well," Golding declared.

He underscored the fact that these rural schools have hoisted the flag of academic excellence, but said it suggests to government that the high incidence of prevalent failure that has characterised so many of the new high schools is not something that is ordained, or something to be accepted.
He suggested that it is a bad trend that can be avoided, providing there are quality teachers and the dedication of an effective school board.

Pointing out that government was looking at the challenge of how to get the schools to perform better, he said education was in a bad state.

Golding provided statistics to illustrate the point, explaining that of 53,000 students who graduated from high schools annually, 15,000 go on to tertiary institutions, 13,000 have passed less than three subjects and are not likely to get meaningful employment, while 25,000 have not passed a single subject and cannot functionally read and write. Some of these, he lamented, end up in criminal activity, some stay home and get old while some end up on the streets.

Pointing out that the horrible failure of students to pass examinations in the high school system was an indictment of the education system, Golding said, "We cannot continue to put 38,000 young people on the road. After five or 10 years you will probably have 250,000 of these persons on the roads.

"So we need to know what was done differently at these four rural schools. Why are they doing so well in their academics? What made the difference? Is it management? Is it dedication? Community support? What is it?"