New approach for boys at Port Antonio Primary

Seeking to narrow the achievement gap between boys and girls, Port Antonio Primary has introduced all-boys classes and tailored learning programmes as part of a broader effort to improve outcomes among male students.

The initiative comes as the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information moves to implement targeted interventions to address the continued underperformance of boys within the education system.

Starting this academic year, the school in eastern Portland has introduced two co-educational classes and two all-boys classes at the Grade Six level.

According to Principal Kennecha Davis-Williams, male students have been strategically placed in separate programmes, with modified timetables that devote additional time to improving reading and comprehension skills, while also allowing them to express themselves and build self-confidence.

The approach mirrors strategies being explored elsewhere in the education system. Speaking recently about Primary Exit Profile (PEP) results, Education Minister Senator Dana Morris Dixon said some schools have restructured classrooms and, in some instances, separated boys and girls during the exam years, with early indications suggesting positive results. The ministry intends to study those approaches further as it seeks to improve educational outcomes for boys.

Davis-Williams said, as the school intensified its focus on boys’ academic development last year, teachers found that some male students responded better when grouped with other boys. She was quick to note, however, that classroom composition did not affect the performance of all male students.

Beyond academics, the intervention is intended to create an environment in which boys feel more comfortable expressing themselves, discussing challenges, developing positive attitudes, and building healthy relationships with their peers. Davis-Williams said the initiative is designed to make boys more receptive to learning while reinforcing the importance of good behaviour and mutual respect.

The school’s response has also included professional development for teachers, equipping them with a better understanding of the needs of male students and the teaching methods that work best for them.

ENCOURAGING RESULTS

The principal said early results from the intervention have been encouraging.

“Last year when we looked at our 20 top-performing students, 13 of the top-performing students were males. And three of those males got scholarships for their entire secondary education,” Davis-Williams said.

She added: “And therefore that result proved to us that we were on the right path as it relates to our decision to focus on the development of our boys. Our boys went on to secure three scholarships to secondary schools as a result of our new policy trial, wherein our teachers spent additional time focusing on their reading, mental ability, and confidence. There was the Young Dreamers Scholarship, one scholarship was from Courts (Courts Jamaica) and we had one scholarship from Knutsford Express.”

All of those boys will be attending Titchfield High School, she noted.

The intervention is also beginning to show positive results among boys at the grade-four level.

“When we look at our current grade-four data, our boys, based of what we are trying to put in place, are performing pretty much at the same level as the girls. And this means a lot to me as principal. Over the years that we have been looking at the data, and every year when you look, we realise that the lower-performing students were males. In every single subject, the boys were performing way below the girls.”

According to Davis-Williams, the programme was introduced after a closer assessment of the challenges facing some male students and the need for targeted interventions to help them realise their full potential.

“We could not allow that to continue, because we know that they (male students) have the potential to learn and do well. We decided to take a different approach. So, we are trying to get the boys interested in varying things, including school work and sports. We are hoping that, by the end of the 2027 academic year, we will have our boys performing at least as well as our girls.”

She also commended teachers and parents for their commitment to the initiative.

“We do not have material resources to suit what we really want to do, but the greatest thing we have is the human resource, human capital, and my teachers are committed to ensure that things work. And I do have some parents who are very committed to the process, and I want to encourage those parents to continue to play that role in the lives of their children,” Davis-Williams concluded.

gareth.davis@gleanerjnm.com