St Elizabeth student Jassonia Beadle is Jamaica’s top 2026 PEP candidate

Jassonia Beadle, the head girl of Park Mountain Primary and Infant School in St Elizabeth, has attained the top national score in the 2026 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination, scoring 394.2 out of 400 points.

Beadle, who hails from the Longwood district in St Elizabeth and who aspires to become a doctor or nurse, successfully completed the PEP examination despite the various infrastructural and scheduling setbacks her school faced following the destructive passage of Hurricane Melissa last October.

“I was happy when my result was announced, although I did not expect it to happen. I was a bit nervous when I entered the exam, but then I realised it was nothing to be nervous about,” said Beadle, who will be matriculating to Hampton School in Malvern, St Elizabeth.

She was one of 31,868 students who sat the PEP examination at the Grade Six level on April 29 and 30.

Carlene Williams Heath, principal of Park Mountain Primary, pointed to Beadle’s commitment to excellence, along with the motivational efforts of the teaching staff, as factors contributing to her successful PEP performance.

This year’s PEP results were announced by Education Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon during a press conference on Monday. She disclosed that students’ performance in the examination remained stable despite the ravages of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa on October 28, which disrupted classes at several schools in western Jamaica.

Park Mountain Primary was one of more than 600 schools impacted by the hurricane.

- Christopher Thomas