KINGSTON, Jamaica — Educator and attorney-at-law Stacey Knight has called for a transformation of Jamaica’s education system, describing it as “educational apartheid” and pointing to deep inequalities in access to resources and student outcomes.

Knight, the aspiring People’s National Party (PNP) candidate for St Andrew North Eastern, made the comments on Wednesday during an educators’ forum hosted by the PNP’s constituency organisation at Shortwood Teachers’ College in St Andrew.

She criticised the current state of education in Jamaica, highlighting a stark divide between well-resourced schools that consistently produce good results and the majority of schools that are poorly resourced and deliver low pass rates.

There is a “learning crisis in Jamaica,” Knight stated, referencing the 2021 Education Transformation Commission Report led by Professor Orlando Patterson. She noted that 70 per cent of students leave high school without certification, and a large number exit the system without marketable skills.

Citing low national pass rates — 41 per cent in mathematics, 49 per cent in science, and 55 per cent in language arts — Knight expressed concern over students’ struggles with analytical thinking and the need to move away from rote learning. She further noted that only 28 per cent of students who sat CSEC exams in 2019 passed five or more subjects including English and mathematics.

Knight said the root of the learning crisis lies in the early childhood level, as well as the lack of attention to gender differences in learning, which has resulted in girls outperforming boys and a low level of male teachers in the system. She also highlighted Jamaica’s 27 per cent tertiary enrolment rate, which falls below that of comparable nations.

“There is a lack of cohesion in the organisation of education in Jamaica,” Knight said. “Poor performers in primary school cannot be expected to become good performers at the secondary level.”

She called for improvements in early childhood education, technical and vocational training, and inclusive education for individuals with physical and mental challenges.

Knight urged teachers’ colleges to move beyond the traditional 3Rs — reading, writing, and arithmetic — and focus on learner-centred approaches and emotional learning.

PNP Spokesperson on Education, Senator Damion Crawford, also spoke at the forum. He called for a realignment of the education budget, noting that 82 per cent of spending goes toward teacher salaries, with little left for essential teaching resources.

Crawford said while education is nominally free, hidden costs such as transportation and meals hinder learning. He highlighted disparities in school performance, citing Campion College’s 98 per cent success rate compared to schools with as little as one per cent.

He said the next PNP administration would provide at least one nutritious meal per student daily, increasing the current meal allowance from $180 to $400, and offer incentives to attract teachers to underserved rural schools.