Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, is encouraging parents to take advantage of the variety and low price of books aboard the Logos Hope to further develop their children’s interest in reading.

Dr. Morris Dixon was speaking during a visit to the vessel on Wednesday (July 23) with students and their chaperones from the Louise Bennett-Coverley Primary School.

The Minister’s comments followed an update provided earlier at the Education Transformation Oversight Committee (ETOC) press conference that as of September 2025, reading will be reintroduced as a timetabled subject for grades one to three in primary schools across the island.

Logos Hope is docked at the Cement Coal Pier in Kingston until August 19 and will head to Montego Bay where it will remain from August 22 to September 14.

“One of the things we spoke a lot about this morning… was the importance of reading. And we have changed our curriculum in Jamaica to emphasise reading from grade one to grade three. In the Ministry we printed books, so every child will have a stack of reading books,” Dr. Morris Dixon informed.

“So, we say to parents that you can supplement that. Come on Lagos Hope and get books for the children. It is going to be very helpful to them and their futures. Parents who want their children to become leaders, books [and] reading [are] absolutely important,” the Minister emphasised.

Logos Hope is known as the world’s largest floating book fair, loaded with more than 5,000 book titles for sale at discounted prices.

Managing Director of Logos Hope, Edward David, shared similar sentiments with Dr. Morris Dixon on the impact of reading on children’s futures.

He explained that the Logos Hope project remains relevant despite global digitalisation and the ease of access to certain books on the Internet.

“I think it’s very good for us to know that one book can shift a mindset and shape a future. Because the world has changed so much and people – younger generations – [are] so much on the screen…. people often ask how is a ship project like this still valid? But… people still like to have a hard copy in their hand. As they read, they underline, they highlight, and they take notes,” he maintained.

Mr. David further pointed out that while it is unfortunate that the ship is visiting Jamaica during the summer break, he is urging parents to still bring their children to the ship, get them a book and encourage their children to read.

The Education Minister was also joined by Speaker of the House of Representatives and Member of Parliament (MP) for St. Andrew East Rural, the Most Hon. Juliet Holness. They also toured the book ship.

Mrs. Holness highlighted an additional benefit for students in her constituency who are able to visit and experience Logos Hope.

“It’s far more of an experience for some of my children because they live in the mountains. And so, there are many persons from my constituency, coming to look at the books on a book ship, and they’re like, ‘okay, I’m seeing the sea, the ocean for the first time. I’m seeing a ship for the first time’. So, it’s a wonderful experience for some of our children,” Mrs. Holness said.

Two major efforts are currently under way to reform school boards across Jamaica.

Chairman of the Education Transformation Oversight Committee (ETOC), Dr. Adrian Stokes, outlined these during ETOC’s Press Conference at Jamaica House on Wednesday (July 23).

Noting that governance is critical to the proper functioning of any education system, Dr. Stokes emphasised that improving the cadre of individuals seeking to serve on school boards is essential to advancing educational outcomes.

“To achieve this, we are making the application process for serving on a school board very transparent, similar to what obtains in the wider public sector. Soon, individuals who wish to serve on a school board will upload their CVs [curriculum vitae] and other relevant information to a website managed by the Ministry [of Education, Skills, Youth and Information],” he explained.

The ETOC Chairman shared that applicants will be vetted to ensure they are fit and proper, with the ultimate goal of aligning individual competencies with the specific governance needs of each school.

Dr. Stokes said the second critical reform relates to legislative changes, noting that the current composition of government-operated school boards can produce a perverse outcome – where an institution effectively governs itself.

“This means that members from a school who are appointed to the board can effectively control the board’s decisions. This is an obvious conflict and goes against well-established good governance principles. The goal is to ensure that the rules applicable to government-run schools are similar to those that apply to church-run schools,” he stated.

Dr. Stokes pointed out that Jamaica’s education system is relatively decentralised, with significant responsibility delegated to school boards to oversee institutional performance.

He said this underscores the importance of how school boards are selected, noting that several key factors must be considered.

These factors, Dr. Stokes said, include competence and intellectual diversity, rules governing board quorum, and the process for selecting chairpersons, all of which are essential to ensuring the proper composition and effective performance of school boards.

ETOC has been tasked with monitoring the implementation of 365 recommendations outlined in the Professor Orlando Patterson-chaired Jamaica Education Transformation Commission (JETC) report.

The recommendations cover seven pillars of transformation – governance and accountability; early childhood education; teaching, curriculum, and teacher training; tertiary education; technical and vocational education and training (TVET); infrastructure and technology; and finance

Rashmi Gibbore of Kensington Primary School in St. Catherine and Myles Whittingham of Montego Bay Christian Academy in St. James have emerged as the top girl and boy, respectively, for the 2025 sitting of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP).

Come September, Rashmi will be attending Ardenne High School in Kingston, while Myles will matriculate to Herbert Morrison Technical High School in Montego Bay.

Both students have been awarded the Guardian Group Foundation Scholarship, which will support them throughout their five-year tenure at high school.

The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information has announced that 32 Government scholarships have been awarded to top-performing students across Jamaica.

The recipients of named Government scholarships are Damarcus Bennett of Angels Primary, who was awarded the Marcus Garvey Scholarship; Haley Saunders of McIntosh Memorial Primary and Nalani Bailey of Southborough Primary, who received the JAG Smith Scholarship and the George William Gordon Scholarship, respectively; and Denisha Smith of Lyssons Primary School, who earned the Paul Bogle Scholarship.

Government of Jamaica scholarships were also granted to 14 boys and 14 girls.

The boys awarded include Adam Simpson, Alex Rainford, Gaville Goburn, Rhys Hanson, Liam Russell, Carson Campbell, Noah Thwaites, Kailani Brown, David Dunkley, Khael Davis, Derwin Hamil, Tanner Reid, Brandon Crookendale and Malique Elvy.

The girls are Sarah Stimpson, Anushka Wisdom, Khaleesi Sherman, Sarita Desai, Hayley Harvey, Najaa Rattray, Emilia-Rose Leake, Aria Thomas, Zaria Stern, Carissa Chin, Tahlia Brown, Tenese Mowatt, Madison Murray and Hailey Cadogan.

Ten of the 14 boys earned placements at Campion College, while two will be attending Cornwall College and another two will matriculate to Herbert Morrison Technical High School.

Eight of the girls were placed at Campion College, two at Immaculate Conception High, and one each at St. Andrew High School for Girls, DeCarteret College, Montego Bay High and Wolmer’s High School for Girls.

Other outstanding PEP students have also been awarded scholarships by several organisations, including the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, Massy Gas Products Limited, Petrojam, Seprod, Jamaica Energy Partners, LASCO, Musson, Chasbel Memorial, and Alva B. Johnson.

During last month’s PEP Results Press Conference, Portfolio Minister, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, highlighted a significant milestone in the placement of the highest-achieving students.

She noted that in the past, the top-10 students would typically attend three schools. This year, however, they were placed in six different schools of their choice.

The Jamaica Library Service (JLS) summer programme is now under way with hundreds of students across the island being engaged under the theme ‘Keep Reading Alive in 2025’.

This initiative, which is being held during the months of July and August, aims to foster a love for reading, creativity, and critical thinking among children.

It involves collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information.

The Education Ministry, in a bulletin, said that the summer programme, which aligns with its literacy objectives, offers a variety of interactive, educational, and creative activities for children at the JLS’s parish or branch libraries. These include reading circles, authors’ corner, sports day, music sessions, art and craft workshops, think and draw, and much more.

The activities are carefully curated to promote literacy, creativity, and social engagement, making summer both meaningful and enjoyable for young learners, the Ministry said.

Parents, guardians, and school communities are encouraged to support children’s participation in this exciting programme. Interested patrons can contact their nearest parish library or the JLS headquarters at 1-876 926 3310-2 for more information on registration and participation.

The schedule for the JLS summer programme is July 14 to 25 – Kingston and St. Andrew, Clarendon, St. James, Manchester, St. Elizabeth, Trelawny, Portland, St. Thomas, Hanover, and Westmoreland; July 21 to 31 – St. Ann Parish Library; and August 11 to 22, St. Catherine Parish Library.

The JLS summer programme offers an engaging and educational environment for children aged four to 14 years.

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, says that reducing absenteeism is essential to achieving equity and transformation in Jamaica’s education system.

“This is such a big deal, because when our children miss school, it really impacts their learning. We cannot talk about quality education if students can’t get to school,” she emphasised.

The Minister was speaking at a School Leadership Conference for Principals and other senior educators from Clarendon, held at the Bahia Principe Resort in Runaway Bay, St. Ann, on Tuesday (July 15).

She pointed out that many students in rural communities continue to miss out on school due to limited access to transportation.

“You’d be surprised how many children are not attending school because they don’t have access to transportation. We have to look at these environmental issues that are impacting education,” the Minister said.

Dr. Morris Dixon argued that addressing such barriers is critical to realising the Ministry’s mandate of inclusive and quality education for all.

“We are serious about ensuring that all our children can benefit from the education system, not just some. There are things that we must put in place so that the quality education we are talking about is accessible to every Jamaican child,” she emphasised.

The Minister further outlined that educational equity must not be determined by geography.

“When we talk about equity and transformation, this is what it means. It means that a child’s zip code should not determine whether or not they can attend school or succeed,” she said.

As part of efforts to reduce absenteeism among students in remote and underserved areas, the Government is rolling out a Rural School Bus Programme in September, designed to provide safe and affordable transportation for students across the island.

Phase one of the programme will see 60 refurbished school buses deployed in September, with an additional 40 buses scheduled to arrive by January 2026.

The initiative will initially benefit students in St. Thomas, St. Catherine and Clarendon and is expected to serve more than 258 rural schools, with future expansion to over 850 schools.

Students will pay a flat fare of $50 per trip, and approximately 328,000 students will be provided with reliable transportation to school.

In St. Thomas alone, seven buses will be assigned to serve 10 schools under this initiative, helping to ensure that geography does not become a barrier to consistent attendance and educational achievement.

Students attending educational institutions that fall under the National School Learning and Intervention Plan (NSLIP) will receive both breakfast and lunch daily starting in the 2025/2026 academic year, which begins September.

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, in making the disclosure said that the intention is to expand nutritional support for the students, who now receive lunch daily.

She noted that the additional meal support is necessary to address the long-standing issues of student hunger, which often hinders classroom participation, learning and even attendance.

She was addressing a Back-to-School Conference for principals and vice-principals from Region Two, covering Portland, St. Thomas, and St. Mary, held at Hideaway at Royalton Blue Waters in Falmouth, Trelawny, on Tuesday (July 15).

“We understand that where we have schools with children who may not be performing at the level we want, there are other factors other than just training teachers that we need to do,” Mrs. Morris Dixon pointed out.

“We have to provide them (students) with the nutrition that they need and that’s why we are doing the additional nutrition support for those schools,” she added.

NSLIP is designed to improve learning outcomes in schools, particularly those in underserved areas. It was introduced to guide curriculum management and learning recovery efforts following the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It encompasses strategies such as summer school, extra lessons, and parental engagement to address learning gaps and improve student performance.

Turning to the Rural School Bus Programme, the Minister said she is optimistic that the initiative will alleviate transportation challenges faced by students in remote communities across the country.

The Government is procuring 110 buses to operate across 100 routes, covering 258 of the more than 850 rural schools across the island. This intervention is expected to directly impact approximately 328,000 students by offering reliable transportation and reduce absenteeism.

“It’s expensive for a lot of our children in rural Jamaica, and they are already disadvantaged. We don’t want to keep them at that disadvantage,” Dr. Morris Dixon said.

Meanwhile, with the Government reviewing the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) to strengthen its effectiveness, the Minister is encouraging school leaders to provide feedback on how the programme can be restructured.

“You’re not going to get the results if a child comes two or three times a week or when the parent has money, and this is a reality for many of our schools in Region Two. This is the time for you to give your suggestions in terms of how we can revamp PATH to better help our children,” the Minister said.

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, is calling for a national push to strengthen literacy at the earliest levels of the education system, as failure to do so could set up students for long-term struggle.

“One of the most painful things for me is to see, especially a young man, in high school who cannot read. It impacts you and it also impacts your own sense of self,” she noted.

Dr. Morris Dixon was speaking at a School Leadership Conference for principals, vice principals and other senior educators from Clarendon, at the Bahia Principe Resort in Runaway Bay, St. Ann, on Tuesday (July 15).

“Our high schools should not be getting children who can’t read or write. The role in the Ministry is for no child to be leaving primary school non-literate,” she emphasised.

She pointed out that the literacy gap begins early and follows students throughout their academic journey.

“When you speak to the secondary-school principals, they’ll tell you, ‘I got them and I had to be remediating them in high school’, and then when you talk to the primary principals, they’ll tell you it came from grade one,” the Minister said.

“We can’t be doing that. That is not where we’re going to get the biggest bang for our buck and get our children to realise their potential. So, we have to start early. The emphasis on early-childhood education; the emphasis on reading at grade one to grade three is critical if we’re going to stem the flow of children throughout the system,” Dr. Morris Dixon said.

The Minister also encouraged collaboration between schools and the Ministry.

“I ask you to really work with us, especially the primary schools. Work with the Ministry. Give them suggestions on what works, what works in your environment, so that others can use it and we can test it and see if it works. Our children deserve this,” she said.

Beginning in 2026, grade-six students taking the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) exams will face fewer testing days with Mathematics and Language Arts assessments, as they will be condensed into single-day sittings under new changes.

This was announced by Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, during a Back-to-School Conference for Principals and Vice-principals from Region 2 (Portland, St. Thomas and St. Mary), held at Hideaway at Royalton Blue Water in Falmouth, Trelawny, on July 15.

“For the grade-six PEP, we’re going to collapse the exams together. So, this means you do all of your Mathematics on one day and all of your Language Arts on one day,” Dr. Morris Dixon outlined.

Moreover, the exam timeline is being shifted from February to the months of April and May to give educators more time to deliver the curriculum to students ahead of the exams, said the Minister.

She noted that these changes are not a complete overhaul of the PEP structure but are immediate, manageable “low hanging” adjustments that aim to reduce stress, while improving the learning and teaching experience for students and teachers, respectively.

In addition to the scheduling changes, Dr. Morris Dixon pointed out that the Ministry is to introduce new literacy and numeracy questions within the grade-six PEP papers. This is to help the Ministry gauge and assess the numeracy and literacy levels of students at the end of primary school, she noted.

“It’s just some questions that we’ve added that give us a touchpoint on numeracy and literacy [because] currently we do not test literacy and numeracy at PEP.  PEP is testing the extent to which you’ve mastered the curriculum. It’s a curriculum-based test,” Dr. Morris Dixon said.

In the meantime, the Minister indicated that for grade five, the Ministry is considering discontinuing the PEP exam, but has deferred a final decision pending further consultations with the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) and other stakeholders.

She argued that the idea is for the grade-five examination papers to be provided to schools for use as end-of-year school assessments.

“So, the only decision we’ve made, so far, is to collapse the exams, move them later for grade six, and add the touchpoint questions, so we can know numeracy and literacy numbers at grade six,” she added.

Dr. Morris Dixon said that these actions stem from a wider review of the PEP system that she initiated upon taking office, pointing out that the review focuses on two main questions – how to reduce the administrative and emotional burden of the exams and whether PEP is achieving its intended outcomes.

She indicated that the feedback collected through formal and informal consultations, as well as a recently distributed questionnaire, revealed a shared concern over the extended exam period and the pressure on students over the three-year testing in grades four, five and six.

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, has commended private sector and community stakeholders for their growing role in supporting Jamaica’s education system.

Addressing a School Leadership Conference for principals, vice principals and senior educators from Clarendon, held at Bahia Principe Resort in St. Ann on Tuesday (July 15), Senator Morris Dixon praised the contributions of private-sector entities for supporting the conference and ongoing initiatives possible, including the donation of laptop computers to high schools.

“That was amazing for them (high schools), and they continue to support. We’re now moving to… get devices and more smart boards to all of our primary schools. One of the things we really want to do in the Ministry is to have more tangible areas of support to you, principals, the senior teachers, as you do your work,” she told the educators.

Senator Morris Dixon also acknowledged the valuable contributions of government agencies and corporate sponsors, noting that the growing collaboration between the public and private sectors reflects a shared national responsibility.

“[This] says to me that corporate [entities] understand that they have a role to play now. We believe that all of Jamaica has to be a part of this effort we are on to improve our education system,” she stated.

Senator Morris Dixon said the Ministry plans to expand its reward framework with support from the business community.

“We want to celebrate you in bigger ways, financially and otherwise. We’ve already started through the PSOJ (Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica), and we’re going to continue… because we believe we need to… truly celebrate you and to reward you for that work,” she told the educators.

Parents are being urged to support their children through prayer, praise and presence.

The appeal was made by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dr. Kasan Troupe, at Ardenne Preparatory and Extension High School’s Annual School-Leaving Ceremony, held at Ardenne High School in Kingston, on Wednesday (July 2).

Speaking on the theme, ‘Communication: Road Map to Success’, Dr. Troupe said: “When we pray, it’s communication with God. You must pray for them, with them on their behalf. You must talk to God about them.”

She reasoned that life is not a smooth path, noting that they will face persecution, difficulties and trials, which require them to communicate with God.

Dr. Troupe encouraged parents to praise their children and affirm them with encouraging words.

“Don’t tell them that they cannot make it. Don’t tell them about their limitations, because we are all different. There is no one path to success,” she said.

The Permanent Secretary shared that some parents may not be happy with the school their child was placed in following the release of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) results but assured them that their children can bloom where they are planted, because “there are fruits in all of us”.

Meanwhile, she said parents must communicate through their presence and not just their presents.

“You communicate by being there. You turn up, you come to school, you turn up with them and you talk to them. You turn up at home – too many of our boys and our girls are parenting themselves. They are on the telephone, they are on the device, there is no physical presence, there is no touch, there is no love, there is no hug, there is no forgiveness in each other, there is no crying in each other. You have got to turn up. That’s communication,” Dr. Troupe said.

She pointed out that the presence of parents is a critical ingredient on the road to success, as children need to see their parents and receive emotional, financial and physical support.

“For every good school that we have in the country, it is good because the parents turn up. The parents hold the Ministry accountable. The parents hold the school accountable. For every woman, for every champion, it is the parents’ presence that makes the difference,” Dr. Troupe said.