Education in Jamaica

Since 1999, the National Assessment Program (NAP) has been utilizing a variety of teaching strategies to ensure that learning experiences are more broad based and student centered.

Visual aids are used a lot to help in the teaching and learning process and it is very common to see the walls of primary school classrooms decorated with charts made by teachers or those bought in stores, that contain information that students need to know.

The primary school system in Jamaica is quite rigorous as students are assigned a lot of homework daily from as early as Grade 1 (age 5 or 6).

The aim of the examination is to test students' levels (Mastery, Almost-Mastery, Non-Mastery) and abilities in these two subject areas.

The Minister of Education usually holds a press conference to talk about the test results and discuss strategies for the following year.

[8] To get into the top ranked high schools in Jamaica, students need to generally score As (over 80%) in their GSAT examinations.

It is not uncommon for many students to be stressed at this point of their academic lives, as the number of assignments they receive is often overwhelming.

Students are tested on: Social Studies, Language Arts, Mathematics and Science usually take the form of multiple choice whereas Communication Tasks usually requires students to write stories, letters, fill out forms, or make recommendations.

Based on students' scores, the high schools they selected and where they reside, the computer places them.

The public is generally made aware of the release date of the exams and many parents would visit the schools to collect the results of the students.

The paper with the results usually has the scores the students get for each subject, their overall average and the high school at which they have been placed.

The Minister of Education holds a press conference to discuss the results of the examinations, and often explains what subjects have recorded a better performance than the previous year and which ones have declined.

[10] Congratulatory notes and messages from schools and parents are usually placed in the local newspaper to identify individual students who have done well.

Some also say it is unfair to prepare students for the exams for two to three years and because they do not necessarily do well (for whatever reason such as illness or family issues), they cannot be placed at a school of choice.

Some critics have also argued that in many instances, students who get good grades (usually considered averages of 80% and over) are not placed at traditional high schools that they selected.

In addition, many education specialists in the country have also said that many students suffer from emotional and physical exhaustion so much so that when they get into a high school they fail to maintain the grades they received in the GSAT exams.

Most of the students who enroll in these part-time programs are working professionals who want to continue their education without having to relocate closer to the nation's universities.

\ Tertiary education is offered by the following institutions: The Jamaica Tourist Bsm is a new subject at all levels from early childhood up to secondary, that is for children from age 4 to 20 years".

[16] This program, introduced for the 1999/2000 academic year, works in accordance with the set curriculum, which includes "Mathematics, Social Studies, Resource and Technology which will carry tourism related materials and concepts".

[16] Jamaica has also formed a summer school program, which is a five-day workshop for students to gain first hand experience working in the tourism environment.

Field trips to "local" tourist attractions are also included, along with a "one month placement of the top students in hotels and tourism related organizations.

Each of the schools selected to participate in this program was invited to send five students from the third and fourth form years".

In regard to sports, the main track and field event is the Boys and Girls School's Championships.