Expanding Education Horizons (EEH) Project

Fourteen percent of females and 26% percent of males in Jamaica are illiterate. Approximately 142,000 youths are out of school and out of work. The out-of-school population is largely male, rural and poor. Boys’ under-achievement at all levels of education is problematic. With Jamaica’s homicide rate being the highest in the world in 2005, the Jamaican education system must help address the problem of youth violence and develop socially and emotionally well-adjusted children. Moreover, education is critical for the growth of developing countries, as it contribute to creating the human resources needed for economic growth. Poorly skilled human resources currently inhibit Jamaica’s ability to achieve and sustain a competitive economy.

USAID is helping to improve primary education across Jamaica through the Expanding Educational Horizons project. This project, which is conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Youth, is helping to advance primary education across Jamaica. The project focuses on enhancing teaching methods to promote child-centered learning for improved results in literacy and numeracy.

The Expanding Educational Horizons project builds on a previous USAID education project, New Horizons for Primary Schools Project (NHP), which helped improved the quality of basic education in 71 schools across Jamaica. Expanding Educational Horizons will continue to work with the 71 former NHP schools and eventually graduating those that have realize certain achievements. Expanding Educational Horizons will also develop clear linkages between another USAID project, the Caribbean Centers for Excellence in Teacher Training (CCETT), to incorporate best practices from this successful program and include more structured use of the teacher training methodologies.

Under EEH there will be an intensive focus on gender issues, specifically improving educational outcomes for boys who significantly under-perform compared to girls. Assistance will also address the resource constraints of Jamaica’s schools by engaging parents, communities, and the private sector as partners in education. In addition a multi-sectoral approach will be undertaken to improve the quality of education for youth who are at risk of dropping out, as well as for those in poorly performing schools. The project is therefore working with several non-governmental organizations such as Children First and the YMCA that provide remedial education and life skills training to at-risk youth.

Though still in the early stages, the project is making significant gains. For example: 

• To address the special needs of boys; Jericho Primary School in St. Catherine found that separating classrooms by gender for some subjects helped male students learn better. Pilot activities such as this one will be evaluated, documented and shared with other schools through the Expanding Educational Horizons project. 
• To encourage broader community involvement in improving the quality of education, the project has collaborated with several private sector companies including Island Networks and the Book Merchant to generate additional resources for the project’s education outcomes.
• In addition, 306 resource teachers and education officers have been trained in student data management in order to identify areas of weaknesses and strength among students and to plan intervention strategies to improve student performance levels.

Over the next three years the Expanding Educational Horizons project will continue to focus on: 

• Improving teaching quality to change the way teachers instruct, manage the classroom environment and relate to their students. 
• Engaging the private sector to invest in primary school education and to leverage more resources for better results, and to enhance the sustainability of the program. 
• Broadening community involvement in the education process including improving parenting skills, and enhancing the academic skills of parents. 
• Continuing to improve school management by strengthening the management role and skills of principals.

All Education activities