Leroy Fearon | Jamaica cannot build a first-class society with second-class schools

Every year, Jamaica renews its promise of progress. We speak about economic growth, celebrate infrastructure, discuss investment, tourism, technology and the possibilities of a more prosperous nation.

Political leaders deliver speeches about development, and citizens look forward to a future in which hard work will finally translate into a better quality of life.

But beneath the language of national advancement lies a question we cannot continue to avoid: What kind of Jamaica are we building if the quality of a child's education is still heavily influenced by where that child lives, the school he or she attends and the resources available to that institution?

This is not merely an education question. It is a question about justice, economic development and the future of Jamaica.

A country cannot sustainably develop beyond the capacity of its people. Roads, buildings, technology and investment are important, but the most valuable resource Jamaica possesses is its people.

The engineers who design our infrastructure, the nurses who care for our citizens, the teachers who shape our children, the entrepreneurs who create employment and the leaders who govern our institutions are all products of an education system. If that system is unequal, under-resourced or unable to meet the needs of its learners, the consequences extend far beyond the classroom. They appear in unemployment statistics, productivity levels, social instability, poverty, innovation and the ability of citizens to participate meaningfully in national life.

We cannot demand first-class performance from a society while tolerating second-class opportunities for too many of its children.

TWO DIFFERENT REALITIES

Imagine two Jamaican children born with similar intellectual ability, curiosity and ambition.

One attends a school with adequate classrooms, reliable internet, functioning laboratories, sufficient instructional materials, a strong guidance programme and teachers who have access to professional development.

The other attends a school where teachers struggle with inadequate resources, students face barriers to learning and the institution is constantly trying to address challenges that should have been resolved through proper investment.

Both children are Jamaican. Both deserve the opportunity to succeed. Yet their educational experiences may be fundamentally different.

This is where the conversation about equity becomes unavoidable. Equality gives everyone the same opportunity. Equity recognises that some learners need additional support to access that opportunity.

A child in a rural community may need reliable transportation, internet access and additional academic support. A child with a disability may need assistive technology and specialised teaching. A child experiencing poverty may need nutritional, psychological and social support before he or she can fully engage in learning. Treating these children as though they all begin from the same position is not fairness. It is an institutional failure to understand the realities of learners.

We must stop confusing the presence of a school with the provision of quality education. Jamaica has schools, but the existence of a school does not automatically guarantee quality education. A meaningful education system must provide more than a timetable, a classroom and a curriculum. It must provide competent and adequately supported teachers, safe and inclusive learning environments, access to technology and relevant instructional resources, effective academic counselling, opportunities for creativity and critical thinking, and meaningful pathways into higher education, technical training and employment.

When these conditions are absent, the consequences are often transferred to the teacher. We tell teachers to be resilient. We ask them to innovate. We encourage them to work harder, give more and overcome the obstacles before them. But resilience cannot become a substitute for institutional responsibility. A teacher should not have to be extraordinarily heroic to deliver an ordinary standard of education.

TECHNOLOGY IS NOT A MAGIC WAND

Jamaica is rightly interested in artificial intelligence, digital learning and the future of work. These conversations are necessary. Our students must develop the skills to participate in an increasingly digital economy.

But technology is not a magic wand. A school cannot meaningfully integrate artificial intelligence into teaching and learning if students lack reliable connectivity, teachers lack the necessary training or the institution does not have a clear framework for ethical and effective technology use.

Giving a school devices without ensuring that those devices are used meaningfully is not transformation. It is procurement.

The question is not simply whether Jamaican schools have technology. The question is whether technology is improving learning outcomes, expanding access, supporting teachers and preparing students for the realities of the twenty-first century. We must move beyond the excitement of innovation and examine its impact.

Some Jamaicans may view education as a social service that exists separately from the economy. That view is mistaken. Education is an investment in national productivity. When learners fail to develop foundational literacy, numeracy, digital competence and problem-solving skills, the effects can persist into adulthood. Employers may struggle to find workers with the competencies they need. Young people may face limited employment opportunities. The country may become more dependent on importing skills that it could have developed locally.

This is why educational reform must be treated as an economic priority. A Jamaica that wants to attract investment, strengthen local industries and compete internationally must ensure that its education system is preparing citizens for those opportunities. We cannot speak about a knowledge economy while neglecting the conditions under which knowledge is developed.

WE NEED ACCOUNTABILITY

The quality of a country's education system is influenced by the decisions of its leaders. This includes political leadership, institutional leadership, school leadership and the leadership exercised by communities and families.

We must ask whether our national priorities reflect the importance we claim to place on education. Are we investing adequately in the schools that need support? Are we retaining experienced teachers and attracting new talent? Are school leaders given the resources and authority to improve their institutions? Are we measuring educational success only through examination results, or are we examining whether students are developing the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary for life? Are we providing adequate support for students who struggle academically, socially or emotionally?

These questions should not be reserved for election campaigns or annual budget debates. They should form part of an ongoing national conversation about the future of Jamaica.

Jamaica does not need another generation of children to be told that their circumstances should not limit their dreams while institutions fail to provide the support necessary to make those dreams possible.

We need accountability. Accountability means examining whether resources reach the schools and students for whom they are intended. It means evaluating whether programmes are achieving their stated objectives. It means listening to teachers, students, parents and school leaders. It means recognising that educational improvement requires sustained investment, not temporary enthusiasm.

It also means acknowledging that teachers cannot carry the entire burden of national development. The responsibility for educating Jamaica's children belongs to all of us.

The future of Jamaica will not be determined solely by the number of buildings we construct, the volume of investments we attract or the speeches we deliver. It will also be determined by the opportunities we create for the children who will inherit this country.

If we provide some children with every advantage and ask others to succeed despite systemic barriers, we are not building an equitable society. We are reproducing inequality.

If we want a Jamaica that is innovative, prosperous, peaceful and globally competitive, we must ensure that every child has access to an education that develops his or her potential. That will require political will, institutional commitment, responsible leadership and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.

The question is no longer whether Jamaica can afford to invest in quality education. The question is whether Jamaica can afford not to.

A first-class society cannot be built on second-class opportunities. And the time to decide what kind of education system and what kind of Jamaica we are prepared to build is now.

- Leroy Fearon Jr, J.P, M.Sc., is a lecturer, multi-disciplinary researcher, author, geography specialist, columnist, Governor General's Achievement Awardee '24 and Governor General I Believe Initiative (IBI) Ambassador '24. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and leroyfearon85@gmail.com. ONLINE ONLY COMMENTARY.