Tag Archives: Jamaica

According to collegesanduniversitiesinusa, Jamaica has a long and varied educational history. Education in Jamaica was first introduced by the Spanish during their occupation of the island in the 16th century. The Spanish established a number of primary schools and monasteries, which provided basic education to children. During the British colonial period, education was primarily focused on religious instruction and literacy in English. The British also established grammar schools for wealthy families and mission schools for poorer families. However, access to education was limited, especially for non-whites. In 1834, slavery was abolished in Jamaica, leading to an increase in literacy rates among former slaves as they sought to improve their social status through education. In 1845, a national system of public elementary schools was established with the support of missionaries from England, Scotland and Ireland as well as local teachers from Jamaica. These schools provided free education for all Jamaicans aged 5-13 years old regardless of race or class. In 1878, Jamaica’s first secondary school opened at Mico College in Kingston which offered advanced courses in science and humanities as well as teacher training courses. This was followed by the opening of other secondary schools such as Wolmer’s Boys School (1890) and St Hugh’s High School (1901). By 1920 there were over 200 government-funded secondary schools throughout Jamaica providing free education to all Jamaicans up until age 16 years old. In 1948, Universal Adult Suffrage was introduced resulting in increased participation in politics among Jamaicans who had previously been denied access to higher levels of education due to racial discrimination or financial constraints. This led to an increase in demand for higher level educational opportunities such as universities and technical institutions which began appearing throughout the island during this time period including the University College of West Indies (1948), Northern Caribbean University (1959) and University of Technology Jamaica (2004). Today there are numerous educational institutions across Jamaica offering a range of educational opportunities from primary schooling right through to postgraduate studies with many students also taking advantage of online learning opportunities both within Jamaica and abroad. Education remains a priority for Jamaican society with literacy rates now close to 95% according to recent figures from UNESCO making it one of the highest literacy rates globally. Jamaica is an independent nation located in the Caribbean Sea, approximately 90 miles south of Cuba and 150 miles west of Haiti. It is the third-largest island in the Caribbean and has a population of approximately 2.7 million people. Jamaica is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Commonwealth of Nations, both of which are regional organizations that promote cooperation and integration between their member states. Jamaica has a unitary parliamentary democracy modeled on that of Britain, with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state represented locally by a Governor General. The Prime Minister is the leader of government business in Jamaica and serves at the pleasure of Parliament. The bicameral legislature consists of an elected House of Representatives and a Senate appointed by the Governor General on advice from the Prime Minister. In 2009, Jamaica had been led by Prime Minister Bruce Golding since 2007 as leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). Golding’s government had taken steps to improve Jamaica’s economy through fiscal responsibility and free market policies, while also tackling crime, unemployment, poverty, health care reform and education reform. His administration was also supportive of strengthening ties with other nations in Latin America, particularly through its involvement in Petrocaribe – an energy initiative between Venezuela and other Caribbean countries – as well as its participation in regional organizations such as CARICOM. Jamaica’s foreign policy was largely focused on maintaining good relations with its neighbours in Latin America and beyond, while also promoting economic development through trade agreements with countries such as Canada and the United States. At this time Jamaica was also actively involved in international efforts to combat climate change through initiatives such as Cleaner Production Programs for small industries across Jamaica which sought to reduce pollution levels within the country. The 2009 World Bank report listed Jamaica’s main economic indicators such as Gross Domestic Product growth rate at 1%, inflation rate at 6%, unemployment rate at 11%, public debt at 126%, external debt at $2 billion USD, balance payments surplus at -$1 billion USD, current account deficit at -$3 billion USD, foreign direct investment inflow at $1 billion USD, foreign reserves $2 billion USD. This showed that despite some positive trends there were still significant challenges facing Jamaican economy which needed to be addressed if it was to achieve sustainable long-term growth. Check mathgeneral for Jamaica in 2017.