Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines Education Reform

10.MAY.11

by A Gipson

The education initiative which the Unity Labour Party (ULP) Government undertook in 2005 – dubbed the Education Revolution -{{more}} has evoked a futuristic sense of expectation and a yearning for similar economic development achieved by Barbados, after it had carried out extensive reforms to its education system in the 1960’s.

The Democratic Labour Party (DLP), led by Errol Barrow (1961-76), is credited with laying the foundation for its industrial and economic development as a result of the education reforms it had pursued.

After living abroad for several years, I can make an analysis of the two initiatives, hailed by some Vincentians as ‘revolutions’, which should be historically contextualized, but mediated by social, political and economic circumstances of the time.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a revolution is a complete or great change. This is usually associated with the overthrow of a government or existing political order (the Bolshevik and Cuban Revolutions). However, it could also connote a radical change in policy direction or a new approach or thinking on how things are done and what is done.

The education systems of both countries are the historical legacy of colonialism, which has undoubtedly impacted on our socio-economic and political development and immersion into the global economy.

Llobera, chronicling the education, the socio-economic and political development of Barbados from (1966-89), stated that “the hierarchical system which was inherited from the colonial era was not tackled frontally; only partial and piecemeal modifications were introduced, resulting in an education system not being able to respond flexibly and adequately to the needs of the country. Both the primary and secondary education was geared towards academic certification, and the ethos of Barbados society was against vocational and technical training”.

Preceding independence, the Democratic Labour Party Government, which gained political governance in 1961, had initiated a number of education objectives which were outlined in its manifesto. According to Llobera, the government abolished fees in public secondary schools, introduced Technical and Vocational subjects in ten (6 grammar and 4 Comprehensive) schools. Free meals for primary school pupils were introduced in 1963. In the same year, the college of Arts and Science of the University of the West Indies was opened. Two other secondary schools were built and by 1966, Barbados had achieved the objective of providing free primary and secondary education in all public schools.

However, for this article, the point of inference is 1966 – when Errol Barrow’s DLP regained power and took Barbados to independence.

Riding on the back of its social and economic policies – notably education and industrial development – the Democratic Labour Party was given the mandate to take the country into independence and continue its education policies. Llobera noted that in 1967, lands were made available at Cave Hill for a new campus of the University of the West Indies. A Library Mobile Service was introduced in 1968.

The government also recognized the importance of television as a teaching aid; hence, education programs were aired on national television at the end of the 1960’s. The Samuel Jackman Polytechnic and the Barbados Community College were built in 1970.

After retaining power in 1971, other initiatives were undertaken which included the building of two secondary schools (St. Lucy and St. George) in 1971 and 72 respectively. In 1976, the government raised the age at which children leave school from 14 to 16 years, possibly the crowning jewel in its education reforms.

The education initiatives undertaken in this country, on the other hand, were roughly four decades behind those of Barbados. This must be viewed against the backdrop of past and present economic development in this country. St. Vincent and the Grenadines was always referred to as the sick man of the Caribbean, with Geography books of the past terming it the second poorest country after Haiti. Today, it is still the laggard in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.

In 1975, nearly half the population was illiterate. The latest survey conducted in 2001, revealed that 17 percent of the population was of such stock. This was the situation despite the fact that the Joshua-led government in the 1950’s and 60’s, built many primary schools. The Milton Cato administration introducing post secondary education (Teachers’, Technical and Nursing Colleges) in the 1970’s and the James Mitchell administration establishing the ‘A’Level College in the 1990’s.

The education reforms began in earnest in 2005. The initiatives could be broken down into five broad categories: Early Childhood Education, Numeracy, Literacy, emphasis on Universal Secondary Education and Teacher training.

In 2004-05, four primary schools were converted into secondary schools. A fifth school plant was built at Sandy Bay. Between 2005-10, about six (6) new primary and secondary schools were built, while around twelve (12) primary and secondary schools were either upgraded or expanded. In addition, six (6) science labs were upgraded, twelve (12) Learning Resource Centres built, three (3) adult education centres and one special needs institution constructed. Also, around nine (9) Early Childhood Centres were established and thirty (30) Private Pre-Schools upgraded. The government has also undertaken to assist private Pre-Schools with a subvention, amounting to $528,000 annually. In addition, Library Information Centres were established and upgraded in about seven (7) secondary Schools, while classroom Libraries were established in about nine (9) Primary Schools. Funding was also made available to the 26 secondary schools to develop projects which enabled vulnerable male students to engage in extra curricula programmes and an estimated 2,422 scientific calculators were distributed to form 1 students at secondary schools. At the post secondary level, legislation was enacted, amalgamating the four separate colleges into the St.Vincent and the Grenadines Community College.

Numerous teachers were trained in various disciplines to meet the needs of this new education thrust. This included the training of an estimated twenty- three (23) Literacy Specialists ( 3 at the Master’s level & 20 at undergraduate), thirty (30) personnel in Early Childhood Education and sixty (60) mentors and peer counsellors, who were deployed to schools. In addition, about sixty (60) uncertified graduates and twenty (20) non- graduate teachers took the Diploma in Teaching Education, while ten (10) Library Assistants received such training.

The initiatives of both countries reflect some similarities and dissimilarities, as a result of the socio-economic and political circumstances of the day. Barbados’s education initiatives were target-specific and complemented the nascent industrial base and the tourism industry, which had emerged as a major revenue earner besides sugar cane at the end of the 1960’s.

It must be noted that these education reforms took place at the height of the Cold War (1945-91), when the Western Powers had a greater interest in the wellbeing of these islands from falling into the Soviet sphere of influence. The DLP, during its third term, had to also contend with exogenous factors, such as the 1973 oil shock and social unrest attributed to the black conscious awakening (Black Power Movement).

The changes in St. Vincent came four decades later and sit right in the information age (Computer-Internet and Cable Television) and Globalization. The economic fortunes of this country also suffered from exogenous forces – the global financial crisis and recession of 2008, which would have impacted on the government’s ability to implement its education agenda, despite procuring soft loans from the Caribbean Development Bank, the World Bank and grants from the European Development Fund.

Other factors besides economic vagaries can jeopardize the success of the education initiatives and economic development in Barbados that we want to emulate. Despite the benefits to be derived from information technology, it may pass us if we continue to put the cart before the horse in implementing information projects before the infrastructure is fully in place for such. In addition, where we seek to substitute a system of meritocracy with that of party loyalty. Seemingly apparent is the absence of a local University, despite the number of Vincentians who were trained at post graduate level in this country. However, the training of Vincentians with no clear-cut strategy of forging a symbiotic relationship between education and economic development are some of the shortcomings which politicians, rather than an evolving education system, can solve. The jury is still out!