One of the early steps taken by the government to mitigate the spread of COVID 19 was the suspension of face-to-face learning in schools on March 13, 2020 for the rest of the academic year 2019-2020.

EduFocal, an online learning platform that aims to prepare Jamaica’s primary level students for the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) has, since mid-March 2020, offered free online PEP classes. This initiative has been supported through approximately JMD $18 million from corporate partners Wisynco Group Limited, Tru-Juice, JP St Mary’s, Sagicor Foundation, National Baking Company Foundation, NCB Foundation, and Hawkeye.

The Edufocal platform consists of over 20,000 questions that cater to the National Standards Curriculum (NSC). EduFocal co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Gordon Swaby, stated that more than 40,000 students have signed up for the service over the period, resulting in a 4000-5000 percent traffic increase on the site. The initiative, he said, led to the creation of temporary jobs for 25+ people, including teachers – who facilitate the online sessions – and technical support personnel.

Through what started out as a Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative, EduFocal is contributing to the achievement of Goal 1 “Jamaicans are empowered to achieve their fullest potential” and specifically, National Outcome #2 “World-Class Education and Training”.  This is aligned to SDG 4 “Quality Education” and SDG 8 “Decent Work and Economic Growth”.

Interview By: Melissa Smith, Social Marketing Officer, Vision 2030 Jamaica Secretariat

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