The Education System in Jamaica

Abstract

Education in Jamaica conforms to a chronology of development contextualized by significant historical events, which then influenced policies, structure, mandates, and organization as well as access. This chapter chronologically examines how organized schooling in Jamaica transitioned to meet the needs of a colonial socioeconomic and political structure and to that of a newly independent agrarian society, industrial, and neoliberal developments, to today’s educational policy reforms that focus on global and transnational pivots. The phases of organized educational development in Jamaica began during colonial slavery, characterized by no regular offering, missionary schools, and gendered structure. Pivotal in this period was the establishment of Wolmer’s School (1729) and the Morant Bay Rebellion (1865). The second period of organized education in Jamaica was pre-independence, highlighted by the 1940s granting of suffrage and the 1953 establishment of the Ministry of Education. The granting of independence from Britain in 1962 led to increased access to education for some, and the third period, early independence 1962–1970 marked by infrastructural developments, redefined priorities and the establishment of the national education policy. The fourth period, Manley Democratic Socialism 1972–1979, was marked by universally free education, a drive to eliminate illiteracy and reforms that targeted social inequalities. The fifth period, 1980 to the 2000s, saw shifting educational policies and schooling focused on human resource potential and neoliberal policy reduction of social investments. Today, education in Jamaica is guided by Vision 2030, Jamaica’s strategic roadmap towards developing an educational system that produces globally competitive graduates.