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Ven* has spent the past year desperately trying to get her sons back in school.

The boys, who were in grades one and two when they were expelled from a Kingston-based primary school just before last summer, have missed an entire academic year. Now, with the new school term fast approaching in September, instead of sharpening pencils for PEP assessments, they remain home, unplaced.

"Having them at home for a whole year makes me depressed," said the single mother of three. "I believe in education... I want the same for my younger ones." Ven said the expulsions stemmed from what she believes is a misinterpretation of her sons' speech disorder.

"They can talk, it's just that they cannot really pronounce certain words well," she explained. "They were not assessed, but they should not have been expelled for having a disability, that is discrimination."

Before enrolling at the primary school, Ven had sent the boys to a private institution where she said the teachers "tried their best". But fees increased every three months, and with their father absent from the picture, she could no longer afford it.

"If it was one child I could manage, but it's two," she said. "So that made it very hard."

She sought help from the Education Ministry, which eventually led to the boys being placed at the public school.

"But sometime after that, she (the principal) called me saying that my little son lick one likkle boy and the mother say she ago beat him up, so I should keep him home for one week for her to deal with the situation. So I kept both of them home for one week," she recalled. However, when she returned to the school, she was handed expulsion letters.

"They don't want my children at the school any more," she said. Letters from the school cited persistent behavioural challenges. Her younger son was described as "uncooperative, abusive and defiant to teachers and peers", with behaviour that had not improved despite teacher and guidance counsellor interventions. The letter recommended both a psycho-educational assessment at the Mico CARE Centre and a psychosocial assessment at the Child Guidance Clinic.

Her older son was said to be "uncooperative, mischievous and defiant", with similar assessment referrals. The letter also stated that the child has a "mental issue".

"I assure you my son don't have no psychological issue," she told THE STAR.

Ven works full-time as a customer service representative and has struggled to teach her sons herself while keeping them fed and clothed. But it's tough as a single mother.

"My youngest is good with numbers... he can calculate from the top of his head, it's really impressive," she said.

Ven opined that her children are victims of a much larger issue - Jamaica's shortage of special education resources. According to data from the ministry, roughly 6,800 children with special needs are registered islandwide, yet only 700 receive annual assessments at the Mico CARE Centre, leaving hundreds on wait lists and facing months-long delays for evaluation. With no school willing to accept them without completed assessments, Ven is running out of options.

"Every child has a right to an education, so if the parent can't afford the private school fee, the public schools should not be refusing them," she said. Her older son, now supposed to be entering grade four, has missed an essential year of academic development.

"He should've already did his grade three diagnostic test," she said. "I just want them to go to school and get an education. I want people to stop discriminating against them because to me, they both have the potential to learn. Every child does and they are always eager to learn."

With the September term approaching, Ven is holding onto hope that someone, somewhere, will see that potential.

"Honestly, at times I feel like giving up, but I know I can't because they only have me. They don't have anyone else so I have to try to be there for them."

*Name changed to protect identity