Children's Advocacy Group Flags Alleged PEP-Based Graduation Bias at Ascot Primary in Portmore

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Fi We Children Foundation (FWCF) says it is deeply troubled by accounts that grade six pupils at Ascot Primary School in Portmore, St Catherine, may have been singled out at their graduation because of how they performed on the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination.

Media accounts suggest that learners who fell short of particular PEP benchmarks were reportedly barred from wearing caps and gowns. Those students were allegedly made to appear in everyday uniforms, walk in procession behind their peers, and take seats at the rear of the graduating group.

FWCF maintains that, should these accounts prove true, the handling of the children would be indefensible and at odds with standards of dignity, equality, inclusion, and the welfare of minors.

The group further cautions that the reported conduct could carry significant constitutional weight. It points to possible infringements of the rights to equality before the law, freedom from discrimination, and the entitlement of every child to heightened protection on account of minority status, as set out in Sections 13(3)(g), 13(3)(i), and 13(3)(k)(i) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms.

FWCF is calling on parents and guardians of any affected pupils to bring the matter without delay to the Ministry of Education, the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), and other relevant oversight institutions.

Families are also being urged to obtain independent legal guidance or reach out to the Legal Aid Council to assess eligibility for representation. Where warranted, guardians may initiate court proceedings on behalf of their children as next friends, following a pathway comparable to that in Virgo (Dale) and Another v Board of Management of Kensington Primary School.

The foundation additionally asks parents, guardians, and witnesses to retain any material that could support an inquiry, including photographs, video recordings, emails, text messages, and other documents tied to the ceremony.

"A graduation ceremony should celebrate every child who has successfully completed primary education not publicly rank, shame or exclude children because of examination results," said FWCF Youth Policy Committee Chair, Sabrina Barnes. "Every child deserves to be treated with dignity, respect and equal worth."

FWCF restated its position that schools ought to be inclusive environments where scholastic success is honoured without undermining any pupil's sense of worth.

"Every student who completes primary school deserves to cross the graduation stage with pride," it said.