MONTEGO BAY, St James — As Jamaica grapples with a sharp, nationwide increase in the number of children requiring specialized educational support, Education Minister Dr. Dana Morris-Dixon has issued an urgent, heartfelt call for resource and expertise backing from members of the Jamaican diaspora community around the world. Speaking Monday at the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, hosted at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, the minister openly conceded that the country’s current education infrastructure is not prepared to meet this growing demand, even as the government remains committed to upholding the principle that no child will be left behind.
“Our special education children cannot be left behind. They’re just as important as every other child, and they have a lot to give to this country,” Morris-Dixon told the assembled audience, drawing a show of commitment from attendees after framing her appeal: “We have to do a lot of work in that area, and as a diaspora, I need your help. You need to commit to helping me — you’re clapping, so you’re committing to helping me!”
The most pressing gap the system faces is a lack of dedicated diagnostic facilities to identify and assess children’s special needs, the minister explained. Currently, the only public diagnostic centers operating under the Ministry of Education are based at Mico University College in Kingston and Sam Sharpe Teachers College in St James, forcing families in more rural regions to travel hundreds of kilometers to access critical evaluations. Morris-Dixon did highlight one upcoming improvement: a new diagnostic facility in Portland, set to open before the end of the year. Once operational, the center will cut travel times and improve access for families in Portland and neighboring St Mary, a development the minister called a meaningful win for local communities.
Even as the government expands diagnostic capacity, a second, more persistent challenge remains: a critical shortage of specialized therapy professionals. “That’s where we don’t have a lot of experts,” Morris-Dixon said. To address this gap, she extended an open invitation to international academic institutions and training programs: if they are educating speech therapists, occupational therapists, or other specialists focused on supporting children with special needs, the Jamaican Ministry of Education stands ready to welcome students and practitioners for clinical placements and collaborative work.
“We’re open. We’re a very flexible ministry,” she noted. “We understand that we may not have all of the resources here, but we’re open to getting the support for the students in different ways.” Alongside recruiting outside expertise, the minister emphasized that ongoing professional development for local special education teachers remains a top priority.
In a key policy update, Morris-Dixon revealed that the Ministry of Education has finalized the country’s first formal special education needs policy, which will soon be submitted to Parliament for approval. A core component of the new framework is expanding public education to build greater awareness and understanding of special needs across Jamaican society.
The appeal comes just days after Observer Online reported that the ministry is already moving ahead to create new specialized learning spaces, following a surge in demand for special education services nationwide. One senior official noted that demand has reached alarming levels in the Kingston and St Andrew Corporate Area, a trend that may be linked to higher numbers of school-aged children born during recent viral epidemics and the COVID-19 pandemic.