Students In Region 4 Record Strong Performances In Examinations

Students across the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information’s Region Four have recorded strong performances in this year’s Primary Exit Profile (PEP) and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

Minister of State in the Ministry, Hon. Rhoda Moy Crawford, has said that Region Four, which comprises St. James, Hanover and Westmoreland, met the Ministry’s 70 per cent PEP target in three of four areas.

She was addressing the Ministry’s Region Four Principals’ Conference, held on August 27 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James.

“At the primary level, Region Four met the 70 per cent PEP target in three of four areas. In Language Arts, 71.6 per cent; in Literacy, 77.9 per cent; Numeracy, 74.5 per cent and Mathematics stood at 68.4 per cent, missing the target by only 1.6 per cent points,” she said.

Ms. Crawford also highlighted notable performances at the secondary level, pointing to significant gains by several institutions.

“At Mount Alvernia High School for Girls, despite substantial damage to the physical infrastructure from Hurricane Melissa, Mathematics increased by 16 per cent, which means 84 per cent this year. And Mount Alvernia recorded a 95 per cent overall CSEC pass rate, and 100 per cent at CAPE, while there were 100 per cent passes in nine CSEC subjects,” she said.

The State Minister further noted that Hopewell High School recorded a 100 per cent pass rate in English Language, while Maud McLeod High School continued to improve its mathematics performance.

“At Maud McLeod High School, it rose from zero per cent two years ago to 35 per cent last year, and now to 43 per cent this year,” Ms. Crawford said.

The State Minister argued that the results should be viewed beyond the numbers, noting that they reflect the combined efforts of students, educators, school administrators and families.

“These are not merely statistics. Behind every percentage point is a child moving from uncertainty to confidence. A teacher who gave additional time, a principal who insisted on another intervention, a parent who encouraged persistence, and an education officer who kept asking, what more can we do?” she said.

“Examination results must never be reduced to league tables. They are evidence of lives being changed, and principals – the progress we celebrate, it bears your imprint,” Ms. Crawford added.

She encouraged educators to continue using performance data to identify weaknesses and guide targeted interventions.

“It is time that we identify the need, understand the data, target intervention, and provide the resources,” the State Minister said.