Amid celebrations surrounding the 2026 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) results which were released on Monday, president of the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica (NPTAJ), Stewart Jacobs, believes there can be better results if boys and girls are separated at the primary level.

The PEP assessments are used to determine students’ readiness for secondary education and their placement in high schools. According to Education Minister Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, girls outperformed boys overall. However, seven boys were in the top 10 students nationally. Jacobs said the wider figures are not alarming but argued that boys require a different approach to learning, if improved outcomes are to be achieved. While encouraging boys to remain focused, he reiterated his belief that teaching methods should be tailored to their needs.

“Look at what your sister and cousin are doing, but it’s not just the boys. It’s also the teachers. It’s how you deal with them, how you embrace them. The hormones will kick in quicker before there is a change in the voice and with the other influences, the method of how you teach boys must be regulated differently. They’re two different species, well, one species and two different [ways of] thinking,” he said.