PEP placement results released as Jamaica prepares Fisherman's Day observance in St. Thomas

Authorities have released the Primary Exit Profile examination results that determine secondary school placement for grade six students across Jamaica, with early reactions pointing to strong outcomes despite disruption from Hurricane Melissa.

The exams were sat islandwide on April 29 and 30, 2025. The Ministry of Education said 99% of registered students received placements, with 90% assigned to a school of their choice. Education officials have urged parents not to pursue transfer requests through informal channels.

CVM News gathered public reaction in Halfway Tree, where residents praised the performance of students who sat the tests in the hurricane’s aftermath. At Destiny Academy and Preparatory School in Hopewell, Hanover, principal Simone Murdoch said staff and families were celebrating after the institution recorded a 100% pass rate.

Separately, Jamaica is marking International Fisherman’s Day with a week of activities, holding its main celebration on Thursday, June 25, at Colonel’s Cove in Morant Bay, St. Thomas, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Although the global observance falls on June 29, local organisers have set aside the earlier date to honour fishers.

National Fisheries Authority CEO Dr. Gavin Bellamy said the sector has endured a difficult two to three years, including storm damage, Hurricane Beryl, and Hurricane Melissa, which destroyed roughly half of Jamaica’s fishing boats. More than 90% of local fishing is artisanal, using canoes and small vessels.

Thursday’s programme will include presentations from Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green, wellness checks, domino and quiz competitions, fish-pot making, and booths from agencies including the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard and insurance providers. Dr. Bellamy said the NFA has distributed 20 boats and engines for pelagic fishing and mariculture, trained more than 300 fishers in long-line and fish-aggregating-device techniques, and supported oyster and sea-moss projects in Westmoreland, Hanover, and St. Thomas.

Master Chef season 16 contestant Takaya Dryden, a Jamaican-American pastry chef competing on Global Gauntlet, visited Jamaica House during a two-week culinary tour and cooked pan-seared snapper with pickled escovitch, passion fruit beurre blanc, curled green scallions, and sweet potato fondant alongside the prime minister. She said the competition is on a five-week break for the FIFA World Cup and is expected to resume around July 15.

Other segments on the programme covered infertility awareness with consultant obstetrician-gynaecologist Dr. Ashley Ray Kelly South, cyber-safety policy lessons from Australia’s under-16 social media restrictions with Cyberbrite founder Emma Sharp Dalton Brown, and a Hurricane Melissa relief martial-arts benefit tournament scheduled for Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the University of Technology.