Jovan Johnson, Gleaner Writer

KINGSTON, Jamaica:
A new Education Ministry report shows that most of Jamaica’s public schools are not effective.

The results of the latest National Education Inspectorate (NEI) report continue a trend that has developed in recent years with most schools facing challenges in areas such as leadership and students’ progress.

The findings of the report, which was published this morning, are based on the inspection of 129 schools between September last year and March this year.

The NEI says its objective was to establish a baseline of the quality of educational inputs and outputs in the schools.

The national education inspectorate says overall 50 of the 129 are graded as effective, with the remaining 79 a major cause for concern for education stakeholders.

The Education Inspectorate says schools with strong leadership, a clear mission, quality teaching and learning, a safe and orderly climate, and are transparent and practice effective monitoring of students' progress are considered as effective.

It also involves schools with high expectations and parental involvement.

From the study, leadership and management is good in only eight per cent of local schools.

52 per cent of schools had satisfactory leadership.

Teachers also received an unfavourable grade, as the category of teaching in support of students’ learning was only good in three per cent of the 129 schools inspected.

Students in 51 per cent of the schools received unsatisfactory teaching in support of their learning.

The report also revealed that students’ progress was unsatisfactory in most of the schools with only two per cent of the schools having good progress.

News that should be welcomed by the Education Ministry is students’ personal and social development was satisfactory in 70 per cent of schools.

In the meantime, human and material resources to provide support for students’ learning were only good in five per cent, satisfactory in 46 per cent and unsatisfactory in 48 per cent.

Curriculum development and enhancement programmes were unsatisfactory in almost fifty percent of the schools and only good in two per cent.

Most of the schools inspected had satisfactory safety and security mechanisms.

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