A new Education Management Information System is to be implemented by the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information.

Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, explained that the system will facilitate real-time student monitoring and support data-driven decision-making to address issues such as absenteeism.

“I call on all school leaders to use the tools to transform how we lead, teach, and support our students,” she said during her back-to-school broadcast for the 2025/26 academic year on Sunday (August 31).

Dr. Morris Dixon also noted that nutrition and student well-being are key areas under review by the Ministry.

“We know that hungry children cannot learn. Nine billion dollars is allocated to provide our children… our needy children… with a hot meal five days per week. For our children in underperforming schools, a separate $1 billion has been allocated to provide them with breakfast and lunch,” she stated.

The Ministry will also roll out its new National School Nutrition Policy, designed to elevate the standard of meals at institutions.

On another matter, Dr. Morris Dixon reported that the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) results at the secondary level showed marked improvements in English and Mathematics, attributing the gains to targeted interventions in underperforming schools.

In the May/June 2025 sitting of the CSEC examinations, 85 per cent of Jamaican students earned a passing grade in English A, while 44 per cent achieved passes in Mathematics.

In 2024, 76 per cent of students passed English A, while 39 per cent achieved a passing grade in Mathematics.

“We will do more Maths and English camps and deploy more specialist educators to support our children who need it most,” Minister Morris Dixon stated.