New offerings in education

 The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation is embarking on a series of initiatives at various levels of the educational system, all in an effort to make the educational experience in Barbados more holistic.

 

Delivering the feature address at the Opening Ceremony for the Bachelor of Education Programme (Primary) and the Vocational Teachers’ Training Programme in Adult Education on Wednesday evening at the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College, Acting Education Minister, Senator Harcourt Husbands said one of these initiatives is increasing the number of sixth form schools in this island.

 

“I want quickly to draw your attention to several other aspects of this restructuring that I say is taking place in education in Barbados. Firstly, the expansion of the number of sixth form schools. Not only the expansion, but the courses that are being offered which lie outside the traditional offerings.”

 

He added: “The broadening of nursery education with the construction of six new nursery schools in the country, the first of which would be opening this coming school year – being next Monday – and officially opened in October. This would put us in a position to provide nursery education in very modern circumstances for all persons in Barbados requiring that, and we have to pay special tribute to the Maria Holder Trust for financing the construction of six of these six nursery schools. Without their financial input, certainly even in good times, the Government of Barbados would be unable to pursue a programme such as this.”

 

The Ministry of Education is also working on increasing the number of Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (CVQs) into the school curriculum, said the Acting Minister.

 

“More and more we are introducing CVQs into the educational system, making our educational responses more skill based. This summer for example, there are many young 

people who spent their time getting their CVQs in agriculture, whether they were dealing with livestock or growing crops. 

 

 “The idea is that we are aimed at producing not only in the traditional academic areas, but also a variety of skills where the qualification that is regionally based and the holder of that qualification can travel with that qualification throughout the region to acquire employment.”

 

Husbands continued, “Additionally, the launching of the certificate of secondary level competence, the introduction into the schools.

 

"We have been looking at the construction of new schools; fine-tuning the offerings that are available, but also we must recognise that there are challenges with our young people – behavioural challenges, issues of discipline and so on – and two programmes that we have initiated [are] the Schools’ Positive Behaviour Management Programme and the A Ganar Programme are responses that we hope would engage some of these issues.”