KINGSTON, Jamaica— People's National Party (PNP) spokesperson on education and training, Dr Angela Brown Burke, is calling for the Ministry of Education to develop a policy that places emphasis on all students.

According to the PNP, the call comes following a statement from Minister of Education Fayval Williams advising schools to focus on students preparing for exit exams at grades six, 11, 12 and 13.

“Attention to all students is important because learning is cumulative, and the focus on only the exam grades now compromises the prospects of future exam grades,” Brown Burke said.

“Giving adequate support to students to sit their final exams is necessary but the piecemeal approach being taken by the Ministry of Education is not sufficient and will do more harm than good to the remaining batches of students. The minister needs to articulate a more developmental strategy that considers the entire student population,” she argued.

Brown Burke said a systematic plan is needed that considers:

• The importance of in-person early childhood education, since socialisation is key to character building and learning.

• Prioritising teachers' early vaccination.

“The increasing number of COVID cases is worrisome, therefore the Government is obliged to prioritise educators since they hold the development of our future in their hands,” she noted.

“At this point the Government is focused on whether or not to resume face-to-face classes, but no thought is being given to more long-term arrangements, such as decisions around reconstituting the summer holidays to make up for lost learning. These are issues that the Opposition has been urging the Government to plan for since the inception of the pandemic,” Brown Burke said.