Education in Barbados Essay

Barbados had one of the oldest and the most advanced education systems in the Eastern Carribbean in the late eighties.

Education dated back to 1686, when private funds were used to build the first school. Through the eighteenth and nineteenth generations, education was controlled by the Anglicans, who were after joined by other religious groups. By 1962 education was free for all excellent and implemented primarily by the state.

This trend ongoing, so that simply by 1984 just 4 percent of the principal and supplementary schools were managed by simply churches. Barbados’ longstanding emphasis on education was evident in the values and desired goals of contemporary society. Education has traditionally been associated with achievement and upward mobility. In 1970 Barbados officially claimed to acquire achieved a 99-percent literacy rate, a figure that was wondered by a few observers.

In spite of these questions, observers generally agreed that in the eighties literacy in Barbados surpassed the prices of additional Caribbean communities. In 1984 Barbados acquired 126 principal schools, 128 of which had been administered by state. Around 1, 350 teachers had been available to teach the 35, 000 students.

There were sixty-four secondary educational institutions, five that prepared college students for technical careers. A total of six, 000 students attended secondary-school programs. Postsecondary education consisted of seven organizations that awarded degrees or certificates. 4 schools offered specific professional training: the Barbados Start of Managing and Productivity, the Erdiston Teacher’s Training College, the Tercentenary School of Breastfeeding, and the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytecnic.

Educational programs in the university level were executed at the Give Hill Campus of the College or university of the Western Indies (UWI) and the Barbados Community College or university, which presented vocational and technical classes as well. The UWI also included Codrington University, a local biblical seminary. In 1979 the government came up with the Skills Schooling Programme to reinforce existing education programs.

It was designed to match the need for brief but extensive training in business subjects also to prepare college students for jobs in mechanics, electronics, garden, masonry, domestic plumbing, and other technological and professional occupations. Although the educational system was designed to fulfill both the nation’s academic and vocational needs, observers really questioned Barbados’ ability to present quality instruction in fields related to tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing, the major economic companies in the eighties. Few programs were truly offered in gardening science and commerce; therefore, an insufficient number of Barbadians were being ready to take on the responsibilities inherent in a developing economy.

The training system was also criticized for being stratified along socioeconomic lines. In general, upper-class Barbadians prepared intended for university research at the finest primary and secondary colleges, received a disproportionate number of scholarships, together the best data for going into the specialist disciplines. Overall, however , many Barbadians sensed that the education system still afforded in order to achieve by least limited upward range of motion.

The government seemed to be attempting to treat specific criticisms of their educational insurance plan; its desired goals for Barbadian education in the 1980s included the promotion of equal educational chance and enhanced technical and vocational courses in all universities. In spite of their shortcomings, the Barbadian education system continued to be the best inside the Eastern Caribbean in the eighties.