EDUCATION IN JAMAICA

The emancipation of the slaves heralded in the establishment of the Jamaican education system for the masses. Prior to emancipation there were some elite schools for the plantocracy. Others sent their children off to England to access quality education.

After emancipation the West Indian Commission granted a sum of money to establish Elementary Schools, now known as All Age Schools, for the children of the freed slaves. Most of these schools were established by the churches. This was the genesis of the stratified system of education that is still currently embedded in the policies of the 21st century.
Presently the following categories of schools exist:

Early childhood – Basic, Infant and privately operated pre- school. Age cohort – 1 – 5 years.
Primary – Publicly and privately owned (Privately owned being called Preparatory Schools). Ages 5 – 10 years.
Secondary – Publicly and privately owned. Ages 10 – 16 years. The high schools in Jamaica may be either single-sex or co-educational institutions. Many follow the traditional English grammar school model.

Tertiary - Community Colleges, Teachers’ Colleges, Vocational Training Centers, Colleges and Universities - Publicly and privately owned. There are five local universities namely: The

University of the West Indies (Mona Campus); the University of Technology, Jamaica formerly The College of Art Science and Technology (CAST); the Northern Caribbean University

; the University College of the Caribbean and the International University of the Caribbean. Additionally there are many teacher training and community colleges.