With PEP results pending, parents urged to be calm and support their children

Parents and guardians are being urged by the National Parenting Support Commission to remain calm ahead of the release of the 2023 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) results for grade-six students.

Chief Executive Officer, Kaysia Kerr, said PEP is one component of the Ministry of Education and Youth's system of assessment that helps with organisation of students for the continuation of learning.

Consequently, she told JIS News, PEP results should not be treated as a measure of a child's ultimate success in life.

“It really is there to provide important information so that children, parents and teachers will know what support they need as they transition to high school. Because of this, there is really no need to fear. Parents need not have apprehension in terms of where children will be placed,” Kerr noted.

She assures parents that there are “great teachers” right across Jamaica's education system, whether or not their children transition to a school of their choice.

The CEO further pointed out that some students may be disappointed when the PEP results are announced.

“Disappointment is OK as long as children get to understand that this is not the end all or be all. Learning will continue. In fact, learning is a lifelong process and this is just the beginning of an exciting part of the learning journey,” she underscores.

Kerr encourages parents to explain, in ways that children will understand and in a manner that is gentle and comforting, that PEP results provide a comprehensive assessment of their academic strengths and weaknesses.

She also suggests that parents initiate the conversation about defining learning expectations of their children and determining practical steps to achieving their academic goals.

“I don't believe that it is a time when children need to be very sad and parents need to pass on their anxieties to children. It's actually an opportunity for you to understand who your child is as a learner and what you can do as a parent to assist your child,” she emphasised.

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