Jasmine has a perfect attendance record for two school years in a row and was one of 30 students who received the Attendance Award in 2023/24. Her twin sister Justine was not far behind.  Attendance is important at Christel House Jamaica, where we recorded an average attendance of 93%, well above the national average. It’s also important for her mother, Vanessa Edwards who believes, “From dem nuh sick enuh, dem haffi go school.”

“We set such a high standard for attendance because students must be present for any school to carry out its mandate to educate,” says Jason Scott, Executive Principal. “And we have set our target even higher this year.”

For Jasmine, who is in Grade 4, attendance is important because you “get an education and get what you want to be.” She has a natural aptitude for math, loves to run, do gymnastics at playtime, and wants to be a singer. At Christel House, “I can learn, go on the track team, and find a great future for myself.”

She has already won a JCDC medal with the Speech Choir and represented the track team at the JISA Western Meet in Montego Bay, where the team placed third overall.

Although she was a little sceptical when she first learned about the school, Vanessa was convinced when she came in for the interview, saw the school and everything that was provided. “Mi a wonder if is foreign people come try fi tek weh di kids dem,” she says. “But den mi a seh dey wouldn’t bill up such a nice building… It didn’t open up at di time.”

The fact that the girls are transported to and from school also creates an opportunity for Vanessa to earn some income. “Mi see seh di timeframe going in the morning and the time coming mi could do mi likkle hustling and come in so by the time dem fi reach, mi can look about dem.”

What she likes most about the school is the discipline, and that “dem a do dem work and dem a read.”