Nine in Ten PEP Students Placed at Preferred High Schools as 2026 Results Beat Targets

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information Senator Dr the Honourable Dana Morris Dixon told a press conference at Jamaica House on Monday that nine in ten students who sat the 2026 Primary Exit Profile examination have been placed at one of their chosen high schools. A further nine and a half per cent were assigned by proximity to home, while half of one per cent received manual placements.

Dr Dixon said the ministry's long-term aim is to raise standards across all secondary institutions so that wherever students are placed, they feel they can succeed. She commended pupils for persevering through a demanding year shaped by Hurricane Melissa, which severely affected twelve thousand eight hundred and sixty students across four hundred and forty schools in seven parishes—about one third of those who sat the exam. She added that females outperformed males overall, though seven of the top ten performers were boys.

National results released Monday show grade-six students exceeded performance targets in three of four assessed areas. Literacy recorded seventy-nine per cent mastery, numeracy seventy-five per cent mastery, and language arts seventy-two per cent proficiency. Mathematics reached sixty-nine per cent proficiency, one percentage point below the national goal. This year marked the first time literacy and numeracy were assessed at grade six, giving the ministry a new baseline to track progress.

Separately, the Universal Service Fund has restored all thirty community Wi-Fi sites in St James at a cost of more than sixty million dollars following damage from Hurricane Melissa in October 2025. Chief executive officer Charlton McFarland said rebuilt locations now combine fibre and satellite technology with solar power, allowing service to switch if one connection fails. The work formed part of the Connect the West road tour; the next stop is scheduled for Lucea, Hanover, in two weeks.

In St Thomas, the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities launches an islandwide town hall series on Tuesday in Colonel's Cove, running from ten a.m. to three p.m. Executive director Dr Christine Hendrix said the outreach will connect residents with discrimination complaint services, birth certificate support through the National Registration Agency, and the I Am Able My JCPD app for remote registration and access to grants.

The National Council on Drug Abuse will observe International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26 through community walkthroughs, highlighting long-standing concerns around alcohol, ganja and tobacco alongside newer risks such as vaping and alcohol mixed with energy drinks.