Spotlight on Importance of Mathematics April 14-19

Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, says the Ministry has been using the annual National Mathematics Week activities to shine the spotlight on the teaching and learning of Mathematics.

The events are also being staged to underscore the importance of the subject to persons’ daily and professional lives, the Minister said, as she brought greetings at the National Church Service, which was held at the Webster Memorial United Church, 53 Half-Way Tree Road on Sunday, April 14, to launch the Week’s activities. National Mathematics Week 2024 is being observed from April 14 to 19, under the theme ‘Adding Up the Excitement: Maths Rocks’.

The Minister noted that over the years, our students have not performed as well as we would like in national and exit level exams.

She pointed out that in last year’s Primary Exit Profile (PEP) Grade Six Exams, 49 per cent of the approximately 36,000 students who sat the exams were assessed as Proficient in Mathematics, while eight per cent were deemed Highly Proficient. Meanwhile, at the Caribbean Secondary Examinations (CSEC) level, of the 33,664 students from public schools that sat the exams, 44.7 per cent achieved a passing grade in Mathematics.

While this was an improvement by just over 7.5 per cent over the previous year, Minister stated that “we still have a far way to go to see the desired outcomes”.

“Given these experiences over the years, a number of initiatives have been implemented to help teachers in their efforts to impart concepts and principles. More recently, the Ministry has provided additional support to our teachers’ colleges in the training of subject specialists at the Primary level, because it is important for our students to get a good grasp of the subject from the earliest stages of their public education”, she explained.

Minister Williams commended the educators for their dedication and hard work.

“I know our teachers are working hard. I know the siren call to go elsewhere is loud and, therefore, I want to thank and extend congratulations to all our teachers of Mathematics; to the team at the Ministry who work diligently to coordinate workshops and to you the wider publicly for your encouragement in this very important task”, she said.

Highlights of the National Mathematics Week celebrations is the naming of the Mathematics Teacher of the Year and recognising the students who participated in Jamaica Mathematics Olympiad.