MONTEGO BAY, St James —Key education stakeholders have questioned the wisdom of establishing a committee dedicated to improving the academic performance of the country’s male students who have a history of being outperformed by our girls. Concerns have ranged from the need to focus on larger, systemic problems within the educational system to disquiet about the focus on gender.

“The real question is whether Government should organise educational policy around gender rather than educational need. I do not believe that is the right starting point,” argued principal of Belmont Academy in Westmoreland, Rayon Simpson.

The proposed committee, announced by Education Minister Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon during Monday’s Primary Exit Profile results press conference, comes after figures revealed that girls outperformed boys in both core subject areas. In language arts, 80.2 per cent of girls attained proficiency, compared to 63.5 per cent of boys; while mathematics saw 73.2 per cent of girls reaching proficiency versus 64.9 per cent of boys.