Education Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon has charged that, as a country, we are all to be blamed for the dismal results in last year’s Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC)-administered exams.

Addressing last Friday’s media briefing of the Education Transformation Oversight Committee, the minister said education is not just the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, but that of every single Jamaican. And she called on the private sector, community groups, and wider Jamaica to be on board with the transformation, to see better exam performance.

Year after year, our students fail to meet basic benchmarks in the key subject areas of mathematics and English, two cornerstones of modern education. Ministry statistics show that in maths, for 2022, Jamaica recorded a 37.3 per cent pass rate, compared to 38.9 per cent in 2024, a marginal increase. For English language, 2022 passes were recorded at 77.2 per cent, slipping to 76.4 per cent in 2024. The year 2022 was used as the base year, given that there had been exam breaches in 2023, which led to CXC modifying its grading scheme for that year.

The targets for this year are 49 per cent for mathematics and 80 per cent for English, and to achieve this we all must move with haste to take on the minister’s charge.

We’ve all failed to make the connection between failing students and the economy. Our students’ failure is not just a statistic — it’s a damning indictment of our nation’s priorities, and a clear sign that the future of our country is in jeopardy. Maths and English are not optional skills, but we continue to churn out graduates who are functionally illiterate and innumerate.

Enough is enough. Real, co-ordinated action is needed immediately.

We all can admit that the education system has flaws. Teachers, many of whom work tirelessly, are often asked to perform miracles. Meanwhile, parents, overwhelmed or disengaged, are failing to reinforce the importance of education at home. For too long we have been pointing fingers — teachers blame parents, parents blame teachers, the Government blames society, and the private sector stands by, offering few aid initiatives here and there, barely investing in any real educational transformation. Meanwhile, our students are the ones paying the price for this collective failure, leaving secondary school leavers ill-prepared for the demands of higher education, the workforce, and life itself.

The solution lies in implementing systemic reforms. The minister needs to put her words into action — Government has to pledge to fund schools properly and invest in the human resources and technology needed to make education a national priority.

Parents have to remember that education begins at home, and so create environments that foster learning.

The private sector has to remember the obvious: The future workforce is failing. Those who complain about unskilled graduates must invest in solutions; partner with schools, and provide resources to improve infrastructure and technology. The success of business depends on the success of the education system.

And the community has to stop being passive observers, advocate for better, and hold leaders accountable. It takes a village to raise a child, and our villages can’t be asleep at the education wheel.

Our children’s future and the future of our nation depend on it.