I believe that the Jamaican education system can be regarded as one of the best in terms of detailed and robust content, relevant and practical learning activities, and the industrious and creative teachers who seek nothing but high-level performance from our students. Moreover, Jamaican students and teachers have continued to make waves at home and abroad not only academically but in other areas, such as leadership and social development.

There is no doubt that brilliance lies within this small island of Jamaica; however, I am still baffled by the literacy issues that continue to plague our education system. According to the Jamaica Education Transformation Commission (JETC), the 2019 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations revealed that 33 per cent of students cannot read or can barely do so; 56 per cent of students cannot write or can barely do so; and 58 per cent of students cannot, or can barely, find information on a topic. These numbers produced by UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) are quite alarming and demonstrate that significant work remains to be done.

While working at a particular institution, I noted that several students could not read properly, hence the lack of interest in academics as well as the apparent behavioural problems that ensued. However, upon receiving an empty exam paper from one such student with only the name, I began to wonder: What is going to happen to this student seeing that Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) is fast approaching? How could this student slip through the cracks without proper evaluation from the early stages? Where were the parents to intervene in this matter? And what could the school have done differently? Overwhelmed with thought, I came to the conclusion that there are actually high school students in Jamaica who cannot read. How is this possible?

Poor Foundation at the Early Childhood and Primary Levels

Large class sizes prevent individualised support for children who are weak in reading and writing skills. Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development highlights the various developmental stages which are fundamental to a child’s cognitive growth.

Children 2-7 years at the early childhood and primary levels are at the Preoperational Stage of cognitive development at which language learning takes place. Hence, at this stage children begin to think symbolically and learn to use words and pictures to represent objects. When children are not stimulated adequately at this stage, it highlights deficiencies in their cognitive, social, emotional, and linguistic development. As such, vocabulary acquisition, grammar, and verbal expression are affected. Since not all students learn at the same pace and some may require individualised tutoring and differentiated learning approaches, it is important that class size is manageable for teachers and adequate resources are provided to support students with learning deficiencies.

Another stage fundamental to comprehension skills (reading, writing, vocabulary and critical thinking) is the Concrete Operational Stage. At 7-11 years, children begin using inductive logic or reasoning from specific information to a general principle. As an educator I have observed and still continue to notice the lack of critical thinking skills among students. Hence, they continue to struggle to read and write critically, and struggle in tasks such as comprehension and essay writing. These early stages of development are fundamental to children’s development. It is at this stage that it is important to identify learning disabilities and cognitive development delays (reading, writing, and problem-solving at a slower rate).

We have identified the issues; however, it seems that solving these problems require a multifaceted approach as the causes are quite diverse and even complex. The teacher-student ratio is a critical problem. Hence, it poses barriers to provide greater support to students with learning needs, such as reading and writing. This has been an ongoing dilemma for all stakeholders involved.

The Problem of Inadequate Resources and Finances in Education

Having smaller class sizes means employing more teachers and constructing additional infrastructure. Over the years we have witnessed the plight of the education sector with underpaid teachers and lack of teaching resources, and yet improvement is expected in learning and development.

The education sector requires high performance to meet global educational standards; however, the resources, both financial and human, are inadequate and teachers are stretched thin. Now think about having a class of 35 to 42 primary and high school students and being expected to provide individual attention consistently or evaluate those with learning incompetencies adequately. It is quite an arduous task.

Also, some teachers are not literacy specialist and may not be equipped to fill that specific need. Nonetheless, the Ministry of Education has stated that no child is to be left behind. We agree, we don’t want our children to be left behind, but we need adequate resources to implement teaching and learning intervention programmes.

Lack of Motivation or Support at Home

Some may argue that the parents should also play a greater role in the early stages of development of their children and not solely depend on the education system. To this, I wholeheartedly agree. I remember, as a child, reading any and every thing from the
Children’s Own newspaper, magazines, and even the label on a corned beef tin. I was very intrigued by the ingredients at that age.

This behaviour was influenced by my parents who placed keen emphasis on education and high performance. Emphasising the value of education in the home from the early stages is fundamental; nonetheless, we do not live in a utopian society, and there are many factors that may prevent early intervention within the home.

There are parents/guardians who themselves cannot read or have minimal level of education. Hence, they refrain from developing a culture of education in the home. They are mostly focused on their children getting a job to survive.

This lack of motivation and support may also be a result of socio-economic barriers. Some homes that face extreme financial issues may struggle to purchase educational resources and provide personalised tutoring and extra classes for their children who are struggling academically.

Students in these challenging environments may experience hunger, poor housing, and family instability, which can impair focus and learning. Not only that, socio-economic and personal problems also see students not attending school frequently or at all. We see some of these children on the streets begging or engaged in hustling to provide for themselves and their families while their academic future continues to be in jeopardy.

The Way Forward

As stated earlier, solving this critical issue of illiteracy among students in Jamaica will not be a one-day approach. It will take serious planning, organisation, and coordination of all the stakeholders involved. It will involve budgeting of finances and setting aside funds to implement intervention programmes.

A multifaceted approach would include strategies, methods, and perspectives to solve this issue. Hence, the involvement of educators and educational institutions, parents, policymakers, and the Ministry of Education is integral. A holistic as well as individualistic approach needs to be taken along with adequate research and data before making informed decisions.

Early identification and assessment of learning deficiencies in reading and writing is fundamental, as this can allow parents, teachers, and the education system to put in place remedial and special education programmes in the early stages.

Without a doubt, the home is the first agent of socialisation. Who should know children better than their own parents? Therefore, greater parental involvement and collaboration is needed. I must say, I have observed, as an educator, parents who are very much involved in their child’s well-being, while some, not as much as a phone call or e-mail upon receiving three terms of failing grades.

While we can admit that parents and guardians are sometimes faced with insurmountable issues, ranging from personal to social and economic, they have to take the time to investigate the progress of their children’s academic development. Moreover, I believe greater assistance should be given to parents with children who live in volatile areas and face social and economic issues that hinder educational development.

Though the challenges are great, I believe the solutions are within reach with communal effort of all stakeholders.

Lynda Crichton is assistant professor at the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lcrichton@faculty.ucc.edu.jm.