An Opposition political party serves little purpose if all it can do is “oppose, oppose, oppose”. There are moments in the life of a nation when the spirit of patriotism must rise above petty partisanship, because all Jamaicans have an equally vested interest.

The Jamaica Observer believes that the performance of our students in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations offered by the 54-year-old Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is one such moment, where the national interest takes precedence over mere political point-scoring and bickering.

For this reason we are highly encouraged by the comments of Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) spokesman on education Mr Damion Crawford, who may one day serve his country as education minister.

Commenting on the performance of Jamaican students in the regional high school examinations for 2026, Mr Crawford stressed the importance of acknowledging and celebrating the students and stakeholders “whose collective resilience brought this cohort to the completion of this very important phase of their secondary school journey”.

Indeed, as he stated, their educational experience has been far from ordinary.

The PNP spokesman pointed out that in grades 5 and 6, at one of the most critical stages of primary education, their schooling was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. School closures and the sudden transition to remote learning presented significant academic, social, and psychological challenges.

Their transition into secondary education then coincided with post-pandemic recovery and significant teacher migration, as schools simultaneously confronted learning loss, staffing challenges, and disruptions in the continuity of teaching, Mr Crawford acknowledged without water in his mouth.

For those who might have missed it — and that could include members of his own party — he noted that in grade 10 the students were called upon to prove their resilience yet again when Hurricane Beryl struck Jamaica, bringing disruption to their communities, schools, and families.

“In grade 11, the final and perhaps most consequential year of their secondary education, Hurricane Melissa demanded that they tap, once again, into that well of perseverance — and they returned with buckets,” he said.

Against that background, Mr Crawford insists, reaching this point is itself an achievement worthy of recognition and commendation — “evidence not only of the resilience of our students, but of the collective greatness of the parents, teachers, school administrators, support staff, and institutions that supported them along the way”.

Having commended all the stakeholders, without whom the students could not have completed the journey, he had a word for the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth, and Information:

“Despite our differences on policy and approach, their contribution to bringing this cohort through these challenges and to this point deserves our sincere gratitude and recognition.”

He gave credit.

There will be time for detailed examination of the 2026 CSEC results, he stated correctly, and it will be necessary “to study the subject performances, identify areas of progress, confront areas of weakness, and determine what the results tell us about the effectiveness and equity of our education system”.

Our country could use more politicians like Mr Crawford.