Editor’s note: The following is part two of a three-part article. Part 2 was published on July 3, 2025. This series presents a response to a Gleaner article which was published on June 1, 2025.
In Part 1 of this series it was noted that, the Jamaica school system is severely strained with an estimated 6,800 enrolled pupils with clearly defined special education requirements. The National Census is currently underway; former Minister of Finance, now Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dr. Nigel Clarke oversaw the execution of this project.
About seventy percent of 7th graders at Pembroke Hall High School cannot read or do so simply at a grade-three level, therefore creating a reading crisis for the school. Long wait times at the Mico University College Child Assessment and Research in Education (CARE), the government’s main diagnostics centre mean many students struggle to distinguish letters of the alphabet and some are suspected of having special education needs but remain unassessed. The waiting time at the Mico CARE Centre is a minimum of one year while private assessments for students have been quite prohibitive given that the cost ranges from J$40,000 to J$200,000. The government must act to ascertain the overall count of children either having or suspected of having a disability including a learning disability.
The waiting time at the Mico CARE Centre is a minimum of one year while private assessments for students have been quite prohibitive given that the cost ranges from J$40,000 to J$200,000. The government must act to ascertain the overall count of children either having or suspected of having a disability including a learning disability.
Originally opened as the first of its kind in the nation, the Mico CARE Centre logs nearly 1,000 children yearly for psychoeducational assessments. Still, only roughly 700 get evaluated every year, which puts over 300 children on an ever-growing waiting list. Sometimes Jamaican parents object, saying schools ask them not to allow their children to return until they have been assessed, against what is indicated. According to the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President’s comments, infrastructure repairs and resources to the Centre would have cost the nation about 200 billion Jamaican dollars based on the Patterson Report. However, my study of the learning environment points to a range of ¾ trillion to $1 trillion as the most likely cost, which would include building new facilities, providing scholarships for key staff members, and fixing the main problem of insufficient diagnosis testing facilities in Jamaica’s teachers’ colleges.
Originally opened as the first of its kind in the nation, the Mico CARE Centre logs nearly 1,000 children yearly for psychoeducational assessments. Still, only roughly 700 get evaluated every year, which puts over 300 children on an ever-growing waiting list.
The second part of this series seeks to provide further analysis of the problem. If this pressing challenge is not handled with careful strategic planning, this monster which will develop into a severe gangrene in the education sector and will have catastrophic ramifications for years to come. Ms Griffiths, the mother of Navardo Blackburn, a special needs youngster said she got orders to bring her child to Mico CARE. He was four years old at the time. According to her:
“When I went to register him, they said they would get back to me. They said I have to wait my turn. I visit there more than one time and them say them not ready for me as yet. So me have to wait.”
The long waiting time is an issue which illustrates that more diagnostic centres should be erected at other Teachers’ Colleges. There are more children with special needs who are undiagnosed in our education system and are falling through the cracks. This does not bode well for Jamaica’s Vision 2030 goals. The education system is failing our children. Ms. Griffiths tried to register her son at a Spanish Town-based school called but was informed her son could not be registered until an evaluation was conducted. The mother reported encountering the same obstacle when she visited another Greater Portmore school. Navardo spent four years absent from classes.
“He was just there at home. The last time I went by Mico, they said they soon reach to me. I feel bad as a mother seeing him not in school. Every day him usually get up and say, ‘Me soon go a school, y’know; me soon go a school’,”
If parents are aware of their rights and advocate for their children, lawsuits would be meted out to these institutions based on violation of these children’s rights to an education and on the grounds of discrimination. Three (3) judicial precedents that support my argument on this untidy problem are outlined below.
- A. J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools (2025, U.S. Supreme Court): This recent unanimous decision clarified that students with disabilities do not need to prove “bad faith or gross misjudgment” to bring claims under the ADA or Rehabilitation Act.
- Background: A student with severe epilepsy was denied evening instruction, limiting her school day to 4.25 hours less than her nondisabled peers.
- Outcome: The Court ruled that schools must meet the same standards for disability discrimination as in other contexts, reinforcing protections for students even when assessments or accommodations are in dispute.
- Crofts v. Issaquah School District (2022, 9th Circuit Court of Appeals):
- Background: A parent requested that her daughter be evaluated for dyslexia. The school assessed her under a broader “specific learning disability” category but did not formally evaluate for dyslexia or use the parent’s preferred teaching method.
- Issue: Whether the school’s refusal to conduct a specific assessment or adopt a particular instructional method denied the child a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).
- Outcome: The court upheld the school’s approach, but the case underscores the tension between timely assessments and access to appropriate education.
- Winkelman v. Parma City School District (2007, U.S. Supreme Court):
- Key Point: Parents can represent their children’s interests in special education cases without hiring a lawyer.
- Relevance: This case empowered families to challenge school decisions such as delays in assessment or denial of enrolment on their own behalf.
These instances underline together that delays in assessment cannot be used as a justification for depriving children with impairments of their access to education.
Mico noted that the average Jamaican family cannot afford between $60,000 and $120,000 for private assessments and said the great demand for services fuels their backlog. Director of the Mico CARE, Dr. Sharon Anderson-Morgan explained that clients pay depending on their ability using a sliding scale. She claimed some pay as low as $2,000 and that parents hardly pay more than $6,000. Some 2,621 youngsters registered for evaluations between 2023 and March 2025 across all three sites Kingston; Ridgemount, Manchester; and St Ann, with the Kingston location accounting for almost 70% of this total. 1,498 children are awaiting screening; 1,018 or 69% of them have been registered at the Kingston branch of the CARE Centre. Over the past five years, Dr Anderson-Morgan said, wait times for assessments have varied. Most customers are seen within 12 months of registration, she said, although she pointed out that occasionally complexity influences their waiting time. She also advised that assessments do not always produce a diagnosis.
Mico noted that the average Jamaican family cannot afford between $60,000 and $120,000 for private assessments and said the great demand for services fuels their backlog. Director of the Mico CARE, Dr. Sharon Anderson-Morgan explained that clients pay depending on their ability using a sliding scale. She claimed some pay as low as $2,000 and that parents hardly pay more than $6,000.
The crisis we find before us is that along with the recommendations of the Patterson Report, an aggressive approach with thorough planning is needed to save the education system, which is crumbling owing to lack of facilities and resources. Early diagnosis is crucial if the government is to plan properly for and assist children with special needs so that they may fulfil their full potential. The government must also completely supervise all early childhood institutions and offer training possibilities for those working in the sector if it is to adequately fulfil its role of influencing youngsters at that level. It should be noted that some of the children in the sector could be “normal” children who were unintentionally labelled as having special needs since their practitioners lacked the appropriate training and might not have had a strong basis when they were in early childhood education themselves. Lack of attention on early childhood education causes the infrastructure of the educational system to almost collapse.
The crisis we find before us is that along with the recommendations of the Patterson Report, an aggressive approach with thorough planning is needed to save the education system, which is crumbling owing to lack of facilities and resources.
According to Jamaica’s minister of Education, Dr Dana Morris-Dixon, Elijah Wright and other special needs youngsters struggle to receive an education. For students with learning disabilities, the country follows the globally recommended teacher-to-student ratios of 1:16; for those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it follows 1:3. Elijah has been on a waiting list at one of several complete special education institutions for more than a year. Many teachers on the ground would object since the classroom congestion in our country makes it quite difficult for the nation to follow international standards. When addressing that point, the Ministry of Education should proceed carefully since local teachers could object. This is especially true at schools included in the Alternative Pathways to Secondary Education (APSE) Programme, where the sheer student count makes it difficult to maintain the suitable student-teacher ratio.
Elijah and other special needs youngsters require shadows. Elijah’s mother claims that a shadow must accompany her child to partially enrolled schools and that occupational and Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) therapy costs $8,000 per hour while speech pathologists charge $7,500. Finding a facility that provides therapy is extremely challenging.
“Educating children with special needs is an almost impossible task in Jamaica, with families having to make $350,000 to $400,000 per month to support their child. Living in Jamaica with a special needs child can be exhausting, and it is crucial to make education accessible and accessible to all children.”
In the same article, following an autistic diagnosis last year, a third mother has had numerous trips between schools moving her child. She spent forty thousand dollars. She registered her son at a smaller school in St Andrew that was especially meant to handle his illness after his delayed diagnosis. Since then, he has made great development; he can now say his name, identify letters and numbers, and start writing.
According to the article, private partnerships and 99 facilities run by the Jamaican Ministry of Education offer special needs services. From the ministry, each child gets up to $310,000 annually; in some circumstances, this also covers school operations and particular services including physical and speech therapy. I would wish to know how many parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) get assistance annually. Could the Ministry of Education kindly provide details on this? The child of my acquaintance has ASD, hence she would want to use this facility. May the Ministry of Education also provide statistics on this and the annual count of children receiving support for parents of children with ASD? I know someone whose child has ASD; hence I know someone whose child has not yet acquired a shadow and would want to make use of this facility.
The article continued to say that the Special Education Unit (SEU) receives instances requiring information, counselling/parental support, shadow support, school placement, and other forms of aid. Since July 2024, just over 500 children with ASD have sought assistance through the SEU; shadow support is the most often sought type of support. Although the current government is doing more than past administrations, Dr. Morris Dixon noted in the article that not enough is being done for children with special needs in Jamaica. How truthful is this minister? Would you kindly provide the spending figures and details for prior administrations as well as the present government? This will strengthen your case on this crucial issue.
Senator Dr. Morris Dixon encouraged the government to support diagnostics, including a $180 million centre at the College for Agriculture, Science, and Education, to help Mico overcome obstacles coming from a scarcity of trained persons for evaluations. Dr Morris-Dixon, why are you advocating government while you are a part of it? You have authority, as I just mentioned, to push for this and reach other institutions. This does not show very good leadership for a minister. In the Gleaner article, the ministry also sought assistance in developing the departments of occupational therapy, behaviour, and speech pathology within The University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona. The Ministry now collaborates with The UWI under a scholarship programme to find and equip staff members in occupational therapy, speech pathology, behaviour, and other essential fields. Minister, this is what appropriate planning is all about.
References
A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, 605 U.S. ___ (No. 24-249).
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/605/24-249
Crofts v. Issaquah School District No. 411, 22 F.4th 1040.
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca9/19-35473/19-35473-2022-01-12.html
Francis, K. (2025, June 1). Left behind. | Jamaica Gleaner. Retrieved June 12, 2025, from https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20250601/left-behind
Winkelman v. Parma City School District, 550 U.S. 516 (No. 05-983).
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/550/516
Dervin Cochrane is a fourth year Doctor of Education Student at the School of Education, The University of the West Indies, Mona.
I am so Proud of you for the Job you are doing.” PROMOTING AWARENESS. ” Continue the good work, let nothing deter you. You are a child of The Most High. (JESUS CHRIST)!!
Thank you Madam I am humbled.