The Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination was introduced with the worthy intention of assessing students and facilitating placement in secondary schools. Yet, years later, it is evident that the system has also produced unintended and deeply troubling consequences. PEP has become a season of fear, sleepless nights, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion. Instead of looking forward to high school with excitement, many approach it with dread.

Concerns have been raised about the enormous pressure placed on children who are barely entering adolescence. Reports of students experiencing severe stress, depression, emotional breakdowns, and even suicidal thoughts should disturb every Jamaican. Whether such cases are few or many is beside the point. Even one child pushed to the brink by our education system is one too many.

No 11-year-old should carry the emotional weight of an examination that appears to determine the course of their future.