We would prefer that she didn't hyperventilate and we certainly wouldn't countenance a heart attack. But, that apart, we can assure Ms Cynthia P. Cooke, principal of Camperdown High School, whose letter appeared in last Saturday's edition of this newspaper, that her initial reaction was entirely correct.

For while she is correct that results in the Caribbean Examination Council's Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams "do not tell the whole story of high school education", they do tell a major and extremely critical part of it. And, in the case of Jamaica, no matter the rationalisations or the spin, they are not good - neither as a measure of performance nor for the country's long-term social and economic health.

In modern society, education is undoubtedly the greatest social leveller, the best tool which most people can use to scale barriers of status and class and to open opportunities for economic advancement. Indeed, the same holds true for the society at large - this clear correlation between a country's achievement in education and its economic performance. Or, put another way, countries with high levels of literacy and a critical mass of whose citizens are more accomplished in science and technology are likely to be wealthier than countries whose citizens are less so.

Not by accident

Indeed, it is not by accident that the United States was, for a long time, the dominant global military and economic power, and neither is it for nothing that President Barack Obama is making the overhaul of the country's education processes, including holding teachers accountable for performance in the classrooms, a significant part of his administration's agenda. He is concerned that America, educationally, has begun to lag behind countries, particularly in science and technology.

But by comparison to the issues faced by Jamaica, Mr Obama's concerns may appear rather mundane. As Ms Cooke reminded, approximately 51 per cent of the grade 11 age cohort is either screened by their teachers out of the CSEC exams or are not in school at all. Of those who actually sit the exam, less than 20 per cent pass five or more subjects at a single sitting and perhaps 45 per cent will pass math and a bit over 60 per cent will pass English. Up to 35 per cent of 14 to 16-year-olds are estimated to be out of school.

Crisis in education system

But this crisis in Jamaica's education system does not manifest itself only at the secondary level. Just recently, Education Minister Andrew Holness reported to Parliament that around one quarter of grade six students, when they should be ready for secondary education, were performing two levels or more below what is required to beneficially access secondary education. And nearly a half of students who enter the secondary system are barely ready.

Fixing this crisis is not solely the responsibility of schools and teachers, but the bottom line for schools is to deliver education outcomes, measured primarily by quantifiable grades of literacy, including performance in exams like CSEC.

Ms Cooke is right that the society needs to find ways "to measure socialisation skills, values and attitudes" and those other good non-academic things "which contribute to the product called the school-leaver". But, the bottom line is that there is nothing mutually exclusive about being socially engaged and highly literate.

On second thought, it may not be so bad to hyperventilate if your school has bad exam results.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.