Education reform hits 43% as ETOC urges faster action on boys’ learning gap

KINGSTON — Jamaica’s Transforming Education for National Development (TREND) programme stood at 43% overall implementation at the end of year four, quarter one — a four-point rise from 37% last quarter — the Education Transformation Oversight Committee (ETOC) reported at its July 23, 2026 press briefing.

ETOC chairman Dr. Adrienne Stokes said 207 initiatives are under way and all were on track for the period. Gains were led by the governance, teaching and learning, and TVET pillars. The target is 53% by March 2027, rising toward 60–65% by the end of fiscal year 2027/28, with full delivery aimed for fiscal year 2030/31.

Project lead Dr. Venise Morrison-Leon set out pillar progress: governance and accountability 55%; early childhood 47%; teaching, curriculum and teacher training 26%; tertiary 67%; TVET 50%; technology and infrastructure 38%; and finance 21%. Thirteen recommendations were completed in the quarter.

On governance, the Ministry of Education said 90% of new school-board directors appointed in the past 24 months match schools’ strategic needs. Sixty-three fresh board applications brought the pool to 177. A one-year pilot to pay independent directors under public-board fee standards is due to start in September at National School Learning and Intervention Plan (NSLIP) schools, with performance tied to meeting records and school outcomes. Consultation on the Jamaica Teaching Council bill is finished, with reintroduction in Parliament the next step.

Stokes said PEP proficiency in mathematics and English rose year on year, and mastery improved when the cohort was tracked from grade four. Girls still outpace boys by a wide margin — a gap flagged in the Patterson Report and UNICEF’s 2022 review. He called for pilots and new teaching approaches, saying a new boys’ education committee is only a first step. Permanent Secretary Dr. Cassand Troop cited biological and socialisation factors and pointed to regrouping models at schools including Mona High and St. Catherine High. State Minister Hon. Rhoda Moy Crawford noted seven of the top 10 recent PEP performers were boys and said hurricane-hit regions three, four and five saw no PEP decline, with the top primary girl from St. Elizabeth.

On Hurricane Melissa recovery, Morrison-Leon said about $3.86 billion has been invested; 32 school infrastructure projects are finished and 214 are in progress, with severely damaged Priority One campuses such as Mannings High targeted for September reopenings. Wi-Fi now reaches 82% of public schools and places of safety, and broadband 74%. Operational disbursements total $6.1 billion, with average operational grants up 19.3%.

Other TREND highlights included 23 Brain Builder Centres completed, 312 HOPE temporary trained teachers retained, more than 3,300 early childhood practitioners trained, EXL literacy-numeracy tools live in 50 of 56 NSLIP high schools, and recognition of Gavin Drizzio of Vauxhall High as top TVET teacher. National Education Trust executive director Mrs. Latoya Harris-Garitty said donors receive standards and project oversight, while Crawford outlined Constituency Development Fund and ministry tuition support for MPs’ constituents.