Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0197/01975.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 31KB | 480 lines

$Unique_ID{COW01975}
$Pretitle{233J}
$Title{Jamaica
Chapter 1B.   Education}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Rex A. Hudson, Daniel J. Seyler}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{education
jamaica
health
percent
schools
1980s
government
economy
public
secondary}
$Date{1987}
$Log{University of West Indies*0197501.scf
}
Country:     Jamaica
Book:        Caribbean Commonwealth, An Area Study: Jamaica
Author:      Rex A. Hudson, Daniel J. Seyler
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1987

Chapter 1B.   Education

[See University of West Indies: Campus of the West Indies, Mona. Courtesy
Inter-American Development Bank.]

     The education system was slow to reach most Jamaicans until the early
1970s. Even after the abolition of slavery, education remained uncommon; early
efforts were conducted mostly by Christian churches. In the late 1800s, some
secondary schools created in Kingston served primarily the light-skinned
elite. The limited availability of schools, especially beyond the primary
level, and the elitist curriculum intensified class divisions in colonial
society. A dual system of education, characterized by government-run primary
schools and private secondary schools, effectively barred a large part of the
population from attaining more than functional literacy. In addition, much of
the content of formal education in Jamaica was largely irrelevant for students
unable to attend universities in Britain. In 1943 less than 1 percent of
blacks and only 9 percent of the mixed races attended secondary school.

     The start of early self-government in 1944 finally cleared the way for
increased funding for education. From the establishment of the Ministry of
Education in 1953 to independence in 1962, a national education policy was
developed that expanded the scope of education and redefined educational
priorities. During the 1960s, the major goal of the government in the field of
education was the construction of an adequate number of primary schools and
fifty junior secondary schools (grades seven, eight, and nine). Until the
1970s, however, the education system continued to provide insufficient
opportunities at the postprimary levels because many of the features inherited
from the British education system remained.

     The PNP government elected in 1972 initiated major changes in the
education system. Qualitative and quantitative improvements in education were
identified as the key elements of the new government's program during its
first term in office (1972-76). The two most important aspects of the program
were universally free secondary and college education and a campaign to
eliminate illiteracy. Education reforms were intended to redress the social
inequalities that the system of secondary education had formerly promoted and
to create greater access for all Jamaicans to the preferred government and
private sector jobs that typically required a secondary school diploma.

     The reforms of secondary education had positive but limited effects.
Greater access to education was the main accomplishment of the reform process,
but limited funding may also have lowered the quality of education for the
increased numbers of students attending secondary schools. Nevertheless, the
introduction of universally free secondary education was a major step in
removing the institutional barriers confronting poor Jamaicans who were
otherwise unable to afford tuition.

     After changes in its literacy policies in the early 1970s, the PNP
government in 1974 formed the Jamaica Movement for the Advancement of
Literacy, which administered adult education programs with the goal of
involving 100,000 adults a year. Although in 1987 specific data were lacking,
increases in the national literacy rates suggested the program was successful.
Literacy rates increased from 16.3 percent in 1871 to 47.2 percent in 1911,
67.9 percent in 1943, and more than 85 percent by the late 1970s.

     The education system in Jamaica was quite complex in the 1980s. The
public school system was administered principally by the Ministry of Education
and regional school boards. Four major levels (preprimary, primary, secondary,
and higher education) were divided into a number of different kinds of
schools. The preprimary level was made up of infant and basic schools (ages
four to six); primary education was provided at primary and "all-age" schools
(grades one through six). Secondary schools included "new" secondary schools,
comprehensive schools, and technical high schools (grades seven through
eleven), as well as trade and vocational institutes and high schools (grades
seven through thirteen). The twelfth and thirteenth years of high school were
preparatory for university matriculation. The government also administered a
school for the handicapped in Kingston.

     Although education was free in the public schools and school attendance
was compulsory to the age of sixteen, costs for books, uniforms, lunch, and
transportation deterred some families from sending their children to school.
Public school enrollment ranged from 98 percent at the primary level to 58
percent at the secondary level in the early 1980s. Schools were generally
crowded, averaging forty students per class.

     There were also some 232 privately run schools in Jamaica, ranging from
primary school to college. The total enrollment in private schools was 41,000,
or less than 7 percent of total public school enrollment. Most private-school
students were enrolled in university preparatory programs. Both public and
private schools were characterized by numerous examinations that determined
placement and advancement. This testing material was originally British, but
by the 1980s the Caribbean Examinations Council was increasingly the author of
such tests.

     Several colleges and universities served a limited number of Jamaican
students. These included the largest campus of the University of the West
Indies (UWI); the College of Arts, Science, and Technology (CAST); the College
of Agriculture; various teachers colleges and community colleges; and a
cultural training center made up of separate schools of dance, drama, art, and
music. Located at Mona in the Kingston metropolitan area, the UWI was the most
prominent institution of higher learning on the island, offering degree
programs in most major fields of study. As a regional university serving the
needs of all the Commonwealth Caribbean islands, the UWI also maintained
campuses in Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. Approximately 5 percent of the
Jamaican population participated in university studies, although some students
pursued their academic training outside the Caribbean. In 1985 the government
announced plans to begin reorganizing higher education, including the eventual
merger of CAST and the College of Agriculture into a polytechnical institute
or a university.

     In the early 1980s, the government reoriented its development strategies
for education, emphasizing basic education in grades one to nine and human
resources training. The government's plan stressed rehabilitating and
upgrading primary and basic education facilities, improving the quality and
efficiency of basic education, implementing a full curriculum for grades seven
to nine in all-age schools, and establishing an effective in- service training
program for teachers. Problems in secondary education were also identified,
such as the existence of a complicated, secondary- school system that produced
graduates of varying quality and that wasted scarce financial resources.

     The goals of developing the human resource potential of the population
intended to provide educational opportunities for students to prepare them for
the kinds of jobs available in Jamaica. According to Prime Minister Seaga,
elected in 1980, a major policy in the area of primary education was to ensure
that primary-school graduates achieved functional literacy. Secondary
education was restructured to provide students with an education sufficient to
meet the req