Adult Literacy Rate in Jamaica Reaches 87 Percent

According to the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL), Jamaica’s adult literacy rate is currently 87 percent. Dr. Grace-Camille Munroe, JFLL’s deputy executive director and the organization’s director of education services, stated that the country continues to lag behind other Caribbean nations and this has a negative impact on its competitiveness and productivity. Munroe noted that the World Bank and the World Economic Forum have both recommended that Jamaica “do more” to increase its literacy rate. In recognition of the need to do better, the JFLL plans to modernize and expand its offerings to ensure that wherever people live, they will have access to education. Munroe emphasized that education does not only refer to literacy and numeracy, but to providing adults with what they need to make useful decisions that will affect their lives, the lives of their families, and jobs and their communities. The JFLL, which has 34 centers across Jamaica, began to revise its curriculum in 2014. That curriculum had existed for more than 40 years, and according to Munroe, the organization is now “on a mission” to refocus its energy and rebrand itself.