Mr. Garth Reid, a 26-year-old adjunct tutor at UWI Mona, was selected by the Head of the Department of Maths to be one of the lecturers at the Annual CAPE Pure Mathematics Workshop. This was held at UWI on Saturday, March 21 and 28, 2026.
Mr. Reid delivered interactive lectures, engaging students from all across Jamaica, while also interacting with their teachers and addressing their questions related to both content and pedagogy. Additionally, he provided guidance on expectations for the School-Based Assessment (SBA), offering clarity and support to both students and teachers.
At the end of each presentation, the students applauded, with one from St. Hilda’s stating, “Sir, thank you so much; I have learnt a lot from you today,” while another from Belair remarked, “Sir, when I come to UWI, I want you to teach me.”
What many of the students did not know was that when Garth Junior Reid was 16 years old, he was failing maths miserably. Extra lessons did not help. It wasn’t that he wasn’t trying, but something was blocking his mind from understanding the concepts.
His father, Garth Reid, a policeman at the time, knew how to pray and decided that he would take his son to some faith-filled prayer warriors at their church—Power of Faith Ministries in Portmore, St. Catherine. Some mornings before school, he would turn up at the prayer meetings with his son, tarrying for a breakthrough. And God responded. By June 2016, Garth Juniour had attained a Grade 2 in CSEC math, among other subjects, and also received a tertiary government scholarship.
Today, Garth Junior Reid is lecturing students in mathematics at the secondary and tertiary levels and making recommendations to the Ministry of Education re teaching maths differently to boys and girls, and to natural science tertiary students.
For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. Prov. 2: 6-7
