The Education Ministry has announced plans to tackle poor performance of the country’s students in mathematics.

Among the areas to be targeted, is the review of the curricula of tertiary institutions.

The move comes in response to a report from the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC), which said only 39 per cent of Jamaica’s public school students obtained passes in mathematics, in this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exam.

At a press conference yesterday, Education Minister Fayval Williams expressed disappointment with the students’ performance and emphasized the need for an emergency plan to tackle the issue.

Meanwhile, acting Chief Education Officer Terry-Ann Thomas-Gayle said the ministry will adopt a coaching model to better support teachers.

She added that at the primary level, the ministry plans to implement a specialist model to concentrate more on specific subject areas.