Ascot Primary faces backlash after students denied graduation gowns over PEP results

Ascot Primary School in Portmore, St. Catherine, is under criticism after several students who did poorly in the recent Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations were not allowed to wear caps and gowns at their graduation ceremony. The issue surfaced on Saturday and has since drawn condemnation from the Education Ministry, former Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn and other education stakeholders.

According to the report, the affected students were told to attend in their school uniforms instead of graduation attire. They were also made to march behind higher-performing students and were seated at the back of the graduating class. CVM News reported that the school had informed the families beforehand, that the parents agreed to the arrangement, and that they were charged a reduced graduation fee.

On Sunday, the ministry described the treatment as inappropriate and unacceptable. Education Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon said, "No child should experience humiliation, exclusion, or discrimination in an institution entrusted with nurturing their development."

Llewellyn, speaking at a graduation ceremony for students at Prospect College, also criticised the decision. She said creating those kinds of distinctions could place children on a negative path instead of building their self-worth and motivation. She added that the school should clarify the matter, or apologise if the reports are accurate, and give an assurance that it will not happen again.

The ministry's statement quoted Ascot principal Mark Jackson as saying, "Where any of my students have been wounded or scarred, I am woefully sorry and wholeheartedly apologize for this unintended outcome." But president of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Infants and Primary Schools, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Scott, said Jackson told him he had not apologised and still stood by the school's decision. Scott argued that because the policy had been discussed and accepted by parents and stakeholders in advance, it should be carried through unless it breaches discrimination rules, policy or the law.