FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Chairman, Keith Simmons, featured speaker, Dr. Ivan Henry, Principal of Alexandra School, Jeffery Broomes, and Dr. Gene Carter, Executive Director of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, at the Alexandra School's Speech Day and Awards ceremony yesterday.
Educated citizens critical to developing workforce
12/5/2009
By Randy Bennett
Government officials and community stakeholders need to ensure that its citizens are well educated if that country is to develop positively.
Executive Director of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Dr. Gene Carter, made this call yesterday while speaking at the Alexandra Secondary School’s Speech Day and awards ceremony.
Dr. Carter, who travels across the globe giving recommendations related to education, revealed that no matter where he has travelled, it was an issue that needed to be addressed throughout the world.
“Regardless of where my destination has taken me around the globe, one issue remains constant and that issue is the recognition of Government officials and community stakeholder groups that an educated citizenry is critical to the development of a globally, competitive workforce.
Just this past day in his opening address at an International summit on education, Minister of Education, Ronald Jones, revealed that the need of the summit rose from some concerns express by educators and stakeholders on the island about the declining skills and competencies of graduates entering the workforce,” he added.
He went on to say that not only Barbados was experiencing these problems, but it was on a much wider scale, affecting hundreds of countries worldwide.
He urged those responsible not to be daunted by the challenges ahead of them, but instead stay positive and look towards finding a solution to fix the said problems.
“The challenges we currently face throughout the world are without president. The world’s population has doubled in the past 30 years, creating and increasing strain on the world’s resources. Technology is advancing at a headlong rate of speed, and by way of extension, transforming the way our people work, think and connect.
“It’s transforming our cultural values and it is also reflected on our day to day living; academically, health wise, civically and ethically. This perhaps is the one new phenomenon that we all address within the 21st century ... and if we are going to address these challenges we are going to need every ounce of ingenuity, imagination and creativity that we can muster to confront these challenges.”
