"What a way Jamaica have schools!" My father exclaimed this thought while reading the classified section of the Jamaica Gleaner's Sunday edition. Later, I was curious to find out what he meant and quickly realized that the school classified section was filled with education services pandering to those students who are taking or re-taking CXC exams. Claims of success filled the pages such as "pass your CAPE exam in only one year and get into university", "the best CXC classes", "the best math product ever", "excellent achievement record" "we offer the best teaching in Jamaica" to name a few. Looking at so many ads makes one wonder about the level of teaching in the high schools to cause so many to see a need to establish their own extra lesson services. Even the Minister of Education has verified that the recent CXC results show a decline as overall students in Jamaica continue to perform poorly in many subject areas. Nevertheless, how effective are these extra lesson services? Are these services primarily taught by trained teachers who are aware of the varied learning needs of students or others who may not have a clue? Are learning techniques implemented based on the student's needs or are the same non-productive class procedures used? It would be interesting to know how really effective these services are in helping students to pass the tests.
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