Access to education for all in Barbados, says Prime Minister

Given the alarming statistics disclosed by Senior Education Specialist, Inter-American Development Bank, Dr. Mariana Alfonso on the low percentage of students who have access to education and the lower percentage among those who leave school with a significant number of CXCs, Prime Minister of Barbados, the Rt. Hon Fruendel Stuart assured that Barbados has dealt with the question of access to education thoroughly.

 

As the 5th International Conference on Higher Education got underway, the Prime Minister stated that every child is entitled to primary and secondary education; whether in the formal school setting or being home-schooled. He went on to say that it is difficult to find a household in Barbados where primary and secondary education has not been attained. Furthermore, the Prime Minister outlined that primary and secondary education is compulsory while tertiary remains optional due to the inability to force adults into contractual agreements. However, Stuart emphasized that the government has provided ways which enables persons interested in tertiary level education to access it even though it may be optional.

 

Another area of education that received the attention of the Prime Minister was access to nursery education. While acknowledging that there have been some issues regarding access at the nursery level, the Prime Minister highlighted charities such as the Maria Holder Trust Fund which have been lending assistance in curtailing the problem.