MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN

There are fresh calls for greater accountability after more than hundreds Jamaican students failed to show up for this year’s regional examinations, with taxpayers paying the fees for some of the exams.

The absenteeism has triggered concern among stakeholders that public money is being wasted on examinations that some candidates simply do not turn up to sit.

Data from the Ministry of Education showed that some 4,048 Jamaicans did not show up for the Caribbean Examinations Council’s (CXC) May/June 2026 sitting. Of these, 1,875 were public school candidates.

Regionally, 35,000 candidates did not turn up for CXC exams in the latest sitting.

But while some students may have had legitimate reasons for missing the exams, educators and parent advocates say absenteeism has become part of a wider culture of weak accountability.

For taxpayers, however, the issue is also a financial one.

The Government subsidises the examination fees for key subjects, including mathematics and English language, meaning every unjustified absence represents public money spent without the intended educational benefit.

In 2026, two sets of fees were provided to public schools – $5,205 for schools in parishes not impacted by Hurricane Melissa, and $4,690 for schools in western Jamaica that were severely affected by the hurricane.

The average cost per subject varies according to the number of registrants who qualified for each subject and subsequently benefited from the subsidy.

A total of 20,459 public school students were entered for English language, at an average cost of $4,947.50. This amounted to $101,220,902.50 for Jamaican taxpayers.

Similarly, 18,309 students entered for mathematics at the same average cost, for a total of $90,583,777.50.

The ministry did not provide a breakdown of absenteeism by subject.

It, however, noted that some students may not have benefited from the subsidy if they did not meet the qualifying grade.

Still, Dr Kasan Troupe, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education, said the waste associated with unjustified absenteeism could not be ignored.

“Every unjustified absence from examination is a loss of taxpayers’ money and a disregard for the investment being made in education generally, and the readiness for a successful future for Jamaica. The success of the education system is a partnership which requires all hands on deck, including the students’,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.

Culture of absenteeism

Linvern Wright, principal of the William Knibb Memorial High School, blames exam absenteeism on what he describes as a cavalier attitude of students towards education.

“The absence from exams is a symptom of many of them not taking the process of education seriously. So, it has been happening with many of them since grade seven, eight, nine, [and] since grade 10. What happens now, it just manifests itself in the end product – CXC. It’s the result of their attitude that we’re seeing,” he said.

William Knibb Memorial High School is in Trelawny, a parish that was severely affected by Hurricane Melissa last year. It suffered extensive damage when the Category 5 storm struck the island, lifting roofs off classrooms, ripping through windows and doors, and battering the school’s electrical system.

Out of a cohort of about 200 students who sat CXC exams at the school, 10 were seriously affected by the hurricane.

But while he was not able to provide specific figures when he spoke with The Sunday Gleaner last week, Wright said the absenteeism rate at his school “was of concern”.

“For many, the hurricane has been an excuse rather than a reason,” he told The Sunday Gleaner. “But we know that the fact is that, in many instances, systems have been in place for many of them.

“There are some, of course, [for whom] it was difficult. It was impossible for them to really take it, given what they had gone through. I understand those, but there are others where this was just an excuse – they couldn’t make it, they didn’t come simply because something about how things have been over the years has promoted a culture of them doing this without consequence,” he said.

Wright argues that this irresponsibility begins in the home, where some parents take a passive approach towards their duties.

National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica President Stewart Jacobs is of a similar view. He said Jamaica’s absenteeism is “unfortunate”.

He contends that it is a parenting failure.

“The blame goes to the feet of the parents,” Jacobs said. “Parents need to be more responsible. Parents need to step up now and stop relying on the system to cater or overly cater for their children. They need to ensure that their children find themselves in the exam room and do the exams.”

The students should also share in that responsibility, he told The Sunday Gleaner, as the schools can only do so much and no more.

“The teachers have done so much to prepare the students for the exam. Are you going to ask the teachers to go to somebody’s house to take them out to do the exam? You’re just asking too much of the teachers,” he said.

Who should pay?

Jacobs said the number of students who did not show up for mathematics and English language was especially concerning, noting that these subjects are paid for by the Government.

He argued that parents or guardians should repay these exam fees if students are unjustifiably absent.

“These subjects are paid for by the Government and, if a child is found to be negligent, and the parents [as well], they should pay for the exam the Government has paid for. It’s not free. Somebody had to pay for it, hardworking taxpayers paid for these exams,” he stated.

The Government’s exam subsidy policy provides for the payment of the subject fees for up to five subjects – information technology or electronic document preparation management, English language, mathematics, one science subject, and one National Vocational Qualification or the Caribbean Vocational Qualification and City and Guild Proficiency awards.

Students who are on the PATH (Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education) can benefit from a maximum subsidy of eight subjects.

To qualify for the subsidy, students need to score 55 per cent or above in each subject area in their internal exam, or 50 per cent or over where there are extenuating circumstances that affect the students’ performance in the internal exams, as explained or justified by the principal.

The policy is intended to ensure that financial barriers do not prevent students from accessing critical examinations. But the scale of absenteeism has raised the question of what should happen when students who qualify for that public investment simply do not turn up.

Senior educator and social scientist Ralston Smith said the failure of students to show up for their exams, especially in mathematics and English language, could be primarily driven by their feeling that they are unprepared.

He urged students to still take the exams, advising that there is still something to be gained, even if one feels unready.

“Even if the child does not get a passing grade at the initial sitting, there are still opportunities for the child to redo that exam and the experience and the exposure to the CSEC exam is absolutely important because that can be used to [familiarise] the students as to what they are expected to do,” he said.

Smith suggests a contract be designed for parents, students, schools and the ministry, where, if a student willingly misses an exam, monies paid by the Government will be reimbursed.

“Some levels of accountability have to take place, because we cannot afford for the Government to be paying so much money, for maths and English specifically, and students don’t go and sit the exams,” he said.

Smith also pointed to Jamaica’s performance in CSEC mathematics and called for a change in the approach to the subject.

“The perception is that maths is difficult and, if we are able to break that perception from very early and find approaches that actually stimulate and engage students to actually see the maths content for what it is, to make it practical and applicable to real life, then definitely we’ll see where the performance will improve,” he told The Sunday Gleaner.

Jamaica’s CSEC mathematics pass rate increased to 48.7 per cent this year, up from 44 per cent the previous year and above the regional average of 42 per cent.

But Smith said this performance, although improving, is still subpar.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education said it is taking steps to encourage students to show up for exams.

These include intervention programmes through the National School Learning and Intervention Plan; a tactical approach to ensure students’ readiness and confidence; efforts to build teacher capacity and improve students’ preparation for the exams; and engagement with students to ensure a better understanding of the cost involved in providing educational services.

The ministry said the aim is to help students appreciate the investment being made in their education and commit to their role in ensuring greater success.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story shared different absentee figures, including a breakdown for mathematics and English language and the potential associated cost to taxpayers. The Ministry of Education has since indicated that it had provided The Sunday Gleaner with the incorrect data.