Editing Jamaica (section)

==Education==
{{Main|Education in Jamaica}}

The emancipation of the slaves heralded the establishment of an education system for the masses. Prior to emancipation there were few schools for educating locals and many sent their children off to England to access quality education.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} After emancipation the West Indian Commission granted a sum of money to establish Elementary Schools, now known as ''All Age Schools''. Most of these schools were established by the churches.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jis.gov.jm/education/html/20041212T090000-0500_4438_JIS_MORAVIAN_CHURCH_CONTRIBUTING_MUCH_TO_EDUCATION.asp |title=Moravian Church Contribution to Education in Jamaica |access-date=22 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071123064227/http://www.jis.gov.jm/education/html/20041212T090000-0500_4438_JIS_MORAVIAN_CHURCH_CONTRIBUTING_MUCH_TO_EDUCATION.asp |archive-date=23 November 2007}}</ref> This was the genesis of the modern Jamaican school system.

Presently the following categories of schools exist:
* '''Early childhood''' – Basic, infant and privately operated pre-school. Age cohort: 2 – 5 years.
* '''Primary''' – Publicly and privately owned (privately owned being called preparatory schools). Ages 3 – 12 years.
* '''Secondary''' – Publicly and privately owned. Ages 10 – 19 years. The high schools in Jamaica may be either single-sex or co-educational institutions, and many schools follow the traditional [[Sixth form|English grammar school model]] used throughout the British West Indies.
* '''Tertiary''' – Community colleges; teachers' colleges, with the Mico Teachers' College (now The MICO University College) being the oldest, founded in 1836; the Shortwood Teachers' College (which was once an all-female teacher training institution); vocational training centres, colleges and universities, publicly and privately owned. There are five local universities: the [[University of the West Indies]] (Mona Campus); the [[University of Technology, Jamaica]], formerly The College of Art Science and Technology (CAST); the [[Northern Caribbean University]], formerly West Indies College; the [[University of the Commonwealth Caribbean]], formerly the University College of The Caribbean; and the [[International University of the Caribbean]].
Additionally, there are many community and teacher training colleges.

Education is free from the early childhood to secondary levels. There are also opportunities for those who cannot afford further education in the vocational arena, through the Human Employment and Resource Training-National Training Agency (HEART Trust-NTA) programme,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moec.gov.jm/news/speeches/ict2003.htm |title=Transforming the Jamaican Education System |access-date=22 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080520221921/http://www.moec.gov.jm/news/speeches/ict2003.htm |archive-date=20 May 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> which is opened to all working age national population<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/worldtvetdatabase1.php?ct=JAM | title=Vocational Education in Jamaica | publisher=UNESCO-UNEVOC | date=August 2012 | access-date=26 May 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528010330/http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/worldtvetdatabase1.php?ct=JAM | archive-date=28 May 2014 | url-status=dead }}</ref> and through an extensive scholarship network for the various universities.