Jamaica Blue School Network
The National Coordinator for Jamaica was officially established in 2026.
One pilot school: Foundation Preparatory School. 1 teacher, 1 Principal, and over 100 students engaged by July 2026.
Description
National Coordination — Jamaica | UNESCO IOCARIBE Blue Schools Network
Jamaica is a participant in the Blue Schools Global Network through IOCARIBE. The national coordination is managed by Tracey Edwards, the National Coordinator for Blue Schools Jamaica, who collaborates directly with educational institutions and partners to develop and implement Blue School initiatives, facilitate school registration, and report to the IOCARIBE regional network. The primary thematic areas for Jamaica encompass marine biodiversity, plastic pollution, and Marine Protected Areas.
The Scientific Research Council (SRC) has integrated UNESCO Blue Schools Certification into its annual workplan and is anticipated to assume an expanding institutional role as the programme progresses, contributing expertise in STEM education, citizen science, environmental research, and partnership development.
National goal
To incorporate ocean literacy, climate change adaptation, environmental stewardship, sustainable resource management, and community engagement into Jamaica's educational framework through a nationally recognized, UNESCO-certified Blue Schools Programme.
Other national objectives
To establish governance, certification, and coordination systems for Blue Schools Jamaica.
To enhance ocean and climate literacy among students and educators across Jamaica.
To promote school-based environmental action projects aligned with national priorities.
To strengthen links among schools, communities, and partners to ensure sustained environmental stewardship.
To develop youth leadership, advocacy, and innovation in marine and environmental sectors.
To generate quantifiable environmental, social, and educational benefits, with reporting to the global network.
Coordination Arrangements
The implementation at the operational level is overseen by the National Coordinator, who cultivates relationships with schools, technical agencies, and community partners essential to each project. The UNESCO Focal Point for Jamaica offers policy endorsement and official nominations. The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information endorses curriculum integration, facilitates teacher engagement, and ensures access to educational institutions. IOCARIBE provides regional coordination, conducts training, and manages certification processes.
Examples of Developed Activities
Blue Schools Jamaica Pilot: Conducted at Foundation Preparatory School during the 2025–2026 academic year, with activities developed and coordinated by the National Coordinator in partnership with organizations.
Plastic Wise Project: Students in Grades 4–6 investigated plastic pollution and its marine impacts, designed innovative solutions, and organized collection drives with Plastic Clever Schools and Recycling Partners of Jamaica.
Advancing Circular Economy Workshop: Students presented their plastic-reduction solutions at the Maritime Institute of Jamaica to an external audience.
Blue Schools Science Day and Earth Day (22 April): Engaged over 100 students from partner schools and more than 15 partner organizations, featuring guest speakers and a panel of SRC STEM Ambassadors and university professionals, facilitated by the National Coordinator.
Marine Careers Exposure: Over 60 students learned about marine biology careers through a dedicated Careers Day.
Film and Ocean Awareness: Screening of Ocean with David Attenborough increased awareness within the school community.
School Gardens: Development of vegetable gardens cultivating peppers, tomatoes, and leafy greens, linking nature-based solutions to pollution reduction and food security.
Certification pathway and annual monitoring activities will contribute to a comprehensive environmental dataset for the country.
History of success
Plastic Wise: students designing their own solutions to plastic waste
Foundation Preparatory School's first Blue School project put plastic pollution in the hands of the students. Working with Plastic Clever Schools and Recycling Partners of Jamaica, students in Grades 4 to 6 researched plastic pollution and its impact on Jamaica's marine environment, then designed their own solutions to reduce plastic use in their school. What began as a research exercise became an operating system: the school now runs a standing plastics collection and reduction programme with recycling partners, giving the project a life beyond a single term. For a school in May Pen, Clarendon, well inland of the coast, the project made the link between local waste and the sea concrete and personal.
From the classroom to the Maritime Institute: primary students presenting to a professional audience
Students who had designed plastic-reduction solutions at school were invited to present them at the Advancing Circular Economy Workshop, hosted at the Maritime Institute of Jamaica. Primary-age students stood before an audience of maritime and environmental professionals and made the case for their own ideas. It was the clearest demonstration in the pilot of what the Blue Schools model is for: students are not an audience for ocean literacy, they are contributors to it. The experience built confidence in advocacy and public speaking that no classroom exercise replicates, and it established the Maritime Institute as a standing education partner for the programme.
Blue Schools Science Day: one school's project becomes a national event
On Earth Day, 22 April, Blue Schools Jamaica held its first Science Day. More than 100 students from partner schools and over 15 partner organisations took part, with guest speakers, thematic student presentations, and a panel of SRC STEM Ambassadors and university professionals facilitated by the National Coordinator. Alongside it, a dedicated Careers Day introduced more than 60 students to the work of a marine biologist. Together the two events turned a single-school pilot into a visible national activity and connected classroom learning to real ocean careers. Anchoring the day to Earth Day proved decisive for turnout, and it is now the programme's fixed annual convening point.
