PEP Pressure: Why We Need to Pass Compassion Before We Pass Exams

Every June in Jamaica, you can almost hear it before you see it. The shrieks of joy echoing from verandas. The tears quietly sliding down cheeks on car rides home.

It’s PEP results season, and once again, some children are being hailed like young heroes, while others feel like they just failed a national trial.

But let’s pause the rankings and the pressure for a minute. Because while one set of parents is posting screenshots and school crests with pride, another set is stewing in disappointment, sometimes directing it at the child, the very person who needs them most in that moment.

Dr Alcon Barnett from the Western Regional Health Authority said it best. When a child doesn’t pass for their “first choice”, what they often experience isn’t just sadness. It’s shame. And shame in a young mind is not just heavy. It can be destructive.

This obsession with “name brand” schools in Jamaica is a legacy we need to unpack. We treat school placement like social mobility on fast-forward. Get into the “good school” and doors open. Miss it and you’re written off like expired tin mackerel. But as Dr. Barnett reminded us, every school has produced great people. Everyone.

What really needs to pass this season is the idea that a child’s entire worth is measured by one result sheet. Parents must be more than cheerleaders when it’s good news. They must become coaches when it’s not. Build resilience. Reframe the journey. Show up and stay involved, no matter the school name.

Because the child doesn’t fail the system. The system often fails the child. Especially when learning disabilities go undiagnosed, when resources are uneven, and when home pressure outweighs encouragement.

So, instead of asking “What school you get?”, try asking “How do you feel?” Instead of saying “Mi shame”, say “We’ll find a way.” Because parenting is not about prestige. It’s about presence.

Let the PTA see your face. Let your child hear your support. Let them feel that you believe in their worth before the grades.

In a world full of rankings and results, let Jamaica be the place where a child knows they are more than their placement. That’s the kind of progress we really need to pass on.

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