PNP Rally | Robinson: PNP will address literacy challenges to help with economic growth
Published:Sunday | August 31, 2025 | 9:49 PM
Julian Robinson, the People’s National Party’s (PNP) candidate for St. Andrew South Eastern, says that Jamaica has failed to grow as a nation because there are not enough well-educated persons to fill the jobs that are available.
Addressing supporters during the PNP’s mass rally at Sam Sharpe Square in Montego Bay, St James, on Sunday evening, Robinson pointed to illiteracy at the primary school level as a stumbling block to economic growth.
"I just want to explain to you how we plan to grow this economy to make life better for you and your families, and we are going to ensure growth in this economy. One of the greatest impediments to growth is that we cannot find enough Jamaicans to fill the jobs, because there are too many students who leave primary school and they cannot read and write," said Robinson.
"If you had to take student loans, we are going to tie your repayment of the loans to your income. We are going to run an efficient government where we cut out the waste... we are going to run a government of integrity," Robinson added.
The issue of student illiteracy has become a major concern in recent times, particularly following a Gleaner publication in June, which revealed that over 70 per cent of the roughly 220 grade seven students at Pembroke Hall High School in St Andrew are unable to read or can only read at a grade three level.
The Government subsequently said it would prioritise the reinstatement of reading as a dedicated subject on the primary school timetable.
Robinson also told Sunday’s mass rally that several sectors in Jamaica provide a potential platform for growth.
He said that, among other initiatives, the PNP will bring down the cost of energy if it forms the next government.
- Christopher Thomas
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