Education reform hits 43% as ETOC flags school rebuild and boys’ learning gap

KINGSTON — Jamaica’s Transforming Education for National Development (TREND) programme has reached 43% overall implementation at the end of Year 4, Quarter 1, the Education Transformation Oversight Committee (ETOC) reported at its quarterly press conference on July 23, 2026.

ETOC chairman Dr. Adrienne Stokes said the figure was up from 37% at the previous briefing, a gain of 600 basis points. Project lead Dr. Venise Morrison-Leon put the quarter-on-quarter rise at four percentage points. Stokes said all initiatives are on track, with 207 under way, and credited momentum mainly to the governance, teaching and learning, and TVET pillars.

Officials aim for 53% completion by March 2027 — roughly halfway through the project — then about 60–65% by the end of fiscal year 2027/28, with full rollout targeted by fiscal year 2030/31.

Morrison-Leon said 13 recommendations were completed this quarter. Pillar rates cited were: governance and accountability 55%; early childhood 47%; teaching, curriculum and teacher training 26%; tertiary 67%; TVET 50%; technology and infrastructure 38%; and finance 21%.

On governance, the Ministry of Education reported that 90% of new school-board directors appointed over the past 24 months match schools’ strategic needs. A one-year pilot paying independent directors’ fees — at rates aligned with public-board standards — is due to start in September at National School Learning and Intervention Plan (NSLIP) schools. Sixty-three new board applications were received this quarter, lifting the total to 177. A Mona School of Business strategic review of the ministry is complete and heading for Cabinet; 33 internal audit posts are filled, with recruitment continuing.

Consultation on the Jamaica Teaching Council bill is finished, Stokes said, with the next step parliamentary tabling.

After Hurricane Melissa, about $3.86 billion has gone into building back stronger schools. Thirty-two infrastructure projects are complete and 214 are in progress. Stokes said severely damaged Priority One campuses, including Manning’s High, are a focus, with hopes many reopen for September, though contractor capacity remains tight.

Wi-Fi now reaches 82% of public schools and places of safety, with broadband at 74%. Operational disbursements total $6.1 billion, and operational grants are up 19.3% on average.

Stokes said Primary Exit Profile (PEP) proficiency in mathematics and English improved year on year, with stronger mastery when the cohort is tracked from Grade 4. Girls still outperform boys by a wide margin — an issue flagged in the Patterson Report and UNICEF’s 2022 assessment. State Minister Rhoda Crawford said seven of the top 10 PEP students this year were boys. Permanent Secretary Dr. Cassan Troop said a ministry committee will examine boys’ learning, citing schools such as St. Catherine High that regroup boys for instruction.

National Education Trust executive director Latoya Harris-Garty said donors can partner on rebuilds under NET standards, with project managers assigned to oversee quality.