POINT, Hanover — A senior official from the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth & Information has defended the integrity of the 2026 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations following the Opposition’s criticism regarding the quality and validity of the reported results.

“We stand [by] the data that is presented on the assessment; and it’s up for investigation and scrutiny if you’d like but I can assure you that our minister, in due course, will respond fulsomely to our Opposition, if she so desires,” Acting Chief Education Officer Terry-Ann Thomas Gayle said Tuesday.

She was responding to queries from the Jamaica Observer on the margins of the education ministry’s Region Seven School Leadership Conference 2026, held at the Grand Palladium Hotel in Hanover.