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''first draft by [[Paul Bacsich]], [[Sero]]''
''by [[Paul Bacsich]], [[Sero]]''
 
''For entities in [[Commonwealth LAC]] see [[:Category:Commonwealth LAC]]''
 


== Partners and Experts in Commonwealth LAC ==
== Partners and Experts in Commonwealth LAC ==
Line 8: Line 11:




== Country in Commonwealth LAC ==
== Countries in Commonwealth LAC ==


''The material here is taken directly from [[Commonwealth LAC]].''
''The material here is adapted from [[Commonwealth LAC]].''


''Commonwealth LAC'' consists of all those countries in the Caribbean (and adjacent regions of [[Central America]] and [[South America]]) which are either members of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] or [[British overseas territories]] of the [[UK]].


'''Commonwealth members in LAC'''


These are also all full members of [[CARICOM]]:


# [[Antigua and Barbuda]]
# [[Jamaica]]
# [[St Lucia]]
# [[St Vincent and the Grenadines]]
# [[The Bahamas]] - east of the [[Caribbean]]
# [[Barbados]]
# [[Belize]] - in [[Central America]]
# [[Dominica]]
# [[Trinidad and Tobago]]
# [[Grenada]]
# [[Guyana]] - in [[South America]]
# [[St Kitts and Nevis]]




'''Realm of the UK - British Overseas Territories '''


== Education in Country ==
These are all Associate Members of CARICOM:


# [[Anguilla]]
# [[Bermuda]] - out east of the [[Caribbean]]
# [[British Virgin Islands]]
# [[Cayman Islands]]
# [[Falkland Islands]] - east of [[South America]]
# [[Montserrat]] - full member of CARICOM
# [[Turks and Caicos Islands]]
== Education in Commonwealth LAC ==
<!-- overview of all sectors (schools and post-secondary), focussing on laws, statistics, organisation, ministries and agencies  -->
<!-- overview of all sectors (schools and post-secondary), focussing on laws, statistics, organisation, ministries and agencies  -->
<!-- if already in page, make the Re.ViCa header "Education Policy in Country" a subheader of "Education in Country"-->


<!-- if already in page, make the Re.ViCa header "Education Policy in Country" a subheader of "Education in Country"-->
The countries of Commonwealth LAC have all maintained many aspects of the British educational system, in the context of efforts to respond to the specific needs of the Caribbean culture and people.
 
As in most of the world the Education System is divided into four tiers:
 
* Early Childhood (Pre-primary) Education
# Primary Education
# Secondary Education
# Tertiary Education
 
Special Needs Education and Adult Education are also seen as important.




== Schools in Country ==
== Schools in Commonwealth LAC ==


<!-- cover pre-primary, primary and secondary (all kinds including vocational)  -->
<!-- cover pre-primary, primary and secondary (all kinds including vocational)  -->
<!--- please include an introduction to schools and a list of schools. If there are too many schools in this country, link to an external list of all the schools (on Ministry’s website or Wikipedia) and list the most important ones (well-known school or exemplar) -->
<!-- make sure you include private schools (non-profit, e.g. foundations and for-profit) -->
<!-- include a section on homeschooling  if applicable -->
Most countries have compulsory primary level education. This is generally offered free of charge in the public schools.
(In contrast, in the Dutch-speaking Caribbean, both private and public schools are subsidised by the government provided that they comply with the legal requirements for establishing schools.)
'''Primary schools'''
In most countries children enter primary school at 5 ([[Guyana]], [[Jamaica]] and [[Turks and Caicos]]: 6). This phase typically lasts 7 years, 6 in some countries, and 8 in [[Belize]].


<!--- please include an introduction to schools and a list of schools. If there are too many schools in this country, link to an external list of all the schools (on Ministry’s website or Wikipedia) and list the most important ones (well-known school or exemplar) -->


<!-- make sure you include private schools (non-profit, e.g. foundations and for-profit) -->
'''Secondary schools'''
 
The typical entrance age is 12 (but 11 in [[Bahamas]] and [[Cayman]], 13 in [[Belize]]).
 
Secondary school normally lasts 4-7 years until typically age 17 - but 18 and even 19 in some countries.
 
The lower level of exit qualification is Caribbean Examinations Council Secondary
Education Certificate (CXC-SEC) or the English-style GCE O Level.
 
Many countries offer in some schools a Sixth Form  providing two years of tertiary level education leading to qualifications for university entrance. At these schools the exit qualification is the English-style GCE A Level or the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) certificate.


<!-- include a section on homeschooling if applicable -->
Other secondary schools offer technical and vocational education. The exit qualification is typically City & Guilds of London Institute, London Chamber of Commerce, Royal Society of Arts, etc.




== Further and Higher education ==
== Further and Higher education ==


There are very few full-status universities in the supraregion.


=== Universities in Country ===


=== Universities in Commonwealth LAC ===
<!-- this should already cover public and private (non-profit and for-profit) including open universities  -->
<!-- this should already cover public and private (non-profit and for-profit) including open universities  -->


The main institutions seem to be:
# [[University of the West Indies]] - a large, multi-campus and distance teaching university
# The University of Belize
# St. Georges University - Grenada (but largely a medical school for US students)
# University of Guyana
# North Caribbean University, Jamaica
# University of Technology, Jamaica
# University of Trinidad and Tobago
Thus most of the island countries do not have their own university. However, since there are only two countries with population over 1 million (Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago) and only a further five with population over 100,000 (Bahamas, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada), this is not surprising.


=== Polytechnics in Country ===


=== Polytechnics in Commonwealth LAC ===
<!-- this should already cover polytechnics, universities of applied sciences, university colleges etc  -->
<!-- this should already cover polytechnics, universities of applied sciences, university colleges etc  -->
<!-- and public and private (non-profit and for-profit) including open polytechnics -->


<!-- and public and private (non-profit and for-profit) including open polytechnics -->
Tertiary-level institutions other than universities include:


# Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic
# University College of Cayman Islands
# Cyril Potter College of Education - Guyana
# Caribbean Graduate School of Theology
# University College of the Caribbean - Jamaica
# Moneague Teachers’ College - Jamaica
# St. Josephs Teachers’ College - Jamaica
# St. Michaels Theological College - Jamaica
# West Indies School of Theology - Trinidad and Tobago


=== Colleges in Country ===


=== Colleges in Commonwealth LAC ===
<!-- colleges with university-level provision - such as US community colleges - sbhould be covered here unless they have over 50% university-level provision, in which case they should be covered under "polytechnics"  -->
<!-- colleges with university-level provision - such as US community colleges - sbhould be covered here unless they have over 50% university-level provision, in which case they should be covered under "polytechnics"  -->
<!-- cover public and private (non-profit and for-profit) -->


<!-- cover public and private (non-profit and for-profit) -->
An incomplete list of colleges that appear to be known beyond their base island includes:


# Antigua State College
# College of Bahamas
# Barbados Community College
# Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity
# Codrington College Codrington - Barbados
# Bermuda College
# H. Lavity Stoutt Community College - BVI
# Cayman Institute of Technology
# Dominica State College
# T.A. Marryshaw Community College - Grenada.com
# Cyril Potter College of Education - Guyana
# Guyana School of Agriculture
# Bethlehem Community College - Jamaica
# Browns Town Community College - Jamaica
# Caribbean Maritime Institute - Jamaica
# College of Agriculture, Science and Education - Jamaica.jm
# Edna Manley College - Jamaica
# Excelsior Community College
# University College of the Caribbean - Jamaica
# Jamaica Theological Seminary
# Knox Community College - Jamaica
# Moneague Teachers’ College - Jamaica
# Montego Bay Community College  - Jamaica
# Montserrat Community College
# Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College – St Kitts
# Sir Arthur Lewis Community College – St Lucia
# St. Vincent Community College – St Vincent
# St. Vincent Technical College
# Cipriani College of Labour & Cooperative Studies – Trinidad and Tobago
# College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago ( COSTAATT)
# The Professional Institute of Marketing & Business Srudies (PIMBS) - Trinidad and Tobago
# Trinidad & Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute
# Turks and Caicos Islands Community College


== Education reform ==
== Education reform ==
<!-- focus on the last 10 years at most -->
<!-- focus on the last 10 years at most -->


Line 67: Line 179:


=== Post-secondary ===
=== Post-secondary ===
<!-- divide into universities, polytechnics and colleges if need be  -->
<!-- VISCED authors should focus just on colleges  -->
<!-- if already in page, make “The Bologna Process” a subheader of universities  -->
<!-- copy any Re.ViCa information on universities and polytechnics but do not create or update any information -->


A number of initiatives have taken place, sometimes under the instigation of UWI, to build up the capability of Caribbean universities to complete with non-Caribbean institutions for Caribbean students.


<!-- divide into universities, polytechnics and colleges if need be  -->
There is still much concern about the sector. See for example "Perspectives on Higher Education in the Anglophone Caribbean" in '''Higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2008; 2009''', http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001917/191721e.pdf. The paper starts uncompromisingly with stating that all words in its title are contestable:


<!-- VISCED authors should focus just on colleges  -->
: Neither HE nor the ‘Anglophone Caribbean’ is easy to define. What constitutes the tertiary sector of an education system may vary considerably from country to country.


<!-- if already in page, make “The Bologna Process” a subheader of universities  -->
The authors are uncompromising in their views:


<!-- copy any Re.ViCa information on universities and polytechnics but do not create or update any information -->
: Harvey and Marrett (2008) estimate that there are now ‘close to 30 non-Spanish - speaking
universities (after Austin and Marrett, 2002). They continue:
:: Since 2002 the region has seen a trend towards the establishment (actual or planned) of other universities, both public and private, largely through the amalgamation of existing tertiary institutions. Another trend over the past 20 or so years is the establishment of offshore universities in a number of Caribbean countries, some of which are accessible to Caribbean citizens ( p.301).
: How many of these new institutions really qualify by normal international standards for the title of ‘university’ is open to question.


== Administration and finance ==
== Administration and finance ==
There is a comprehensive directory of Ministries of Education at http://www.educationcaribbean.com/directory/ministries.asp


=== Schools ===
=== Schools ===
<!-- describe any issues of school fees or other costs if state schools are not free  -->
<!-- describe any issues of school fees or other costs if state schools are not free  -->


Primary education is normally free (except in private schools).


=== Post-secondary ===
=== Post-secondary ===
<!-- divide into universities, polytechnics and colleges if need be  -->
<!-- for colleges, describe the student fees regime if colleges charge student fees -->


<!-- divide into universities, polytechnics and colleges if need be  -->


<!-- for colleges, describe the student fees regime if colleges charge student fees -->


== Quality assurance, inspection and accreditation ==
== Quality assurance, inspection and accreditation ==


=== Schools ===
=== Schools ===
<!-- describe the inspection agencies  -->
<!-- describe the inspection agencies  -->




=== Post-secondary ===
=== Post-secondary ===
<!-- subdivide as necessary - QA for HE is usually very different from QA for colleges  -->
<!-- subdivide as necessary - QA for HE is usually very different from QA for colleges  -->
<!-- describe the accreditation regime and the QA agency or agencies  -->
<!-- describe the accreditation regime and the QA agency or agencies  -->




== Information society ==
== Information society ==
<!-- for some background on this rather vague but still pervasive concept see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_society  -->  
<!-- for some background on this rather vague but still pervasive concept see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_society  -->  
<!-- overview, focussing on laws, statistics, rankings, ministries, agencies and initiatives  -->


<!-- overview, focussing on laws, statistics, rankings, ministries, agencies and initiatives  -->
In most countries less than 10% of the population has access to computers and a fraction of that number have access to the Internet.




<!-- include any Re.ViCa material from the section "Country's HEIs in the information society"  -->
== ICT in education initiatives ==


Several countries have been undertaking education reform exercises geared at preparing their citizens for the 21st century and competition in the global workplace. As elsewhere, the main characteristics of the process have included curriculum reform, changes to the teaching methodology and assessment processes, with technology serving as a catalyst for change. See the separate country reports.


== ICT in education initiatives ==


=== Virtual initiatives in schools ===
=== Virtual initiatives in schools ===
<!-- include virtual schools, virtual classes, schools consuming virtual classes, and other initiatives  including not-schools and services for homeschoolers -->
<!-- include virtual schools, virtual classes, schools consuming virtual classes, and other initiatives  including not-schools and services for homeschoolers -->
<!-- create a separate wiki page per "school" and add here a short introduction and link to the separate school wiki page. -->
<!-- create a separate wiki page per "school" and add here a short introduction and link to the separate school wiki page. -->




=== Virtual initiatives in post-secondary education ===
=== Virtual initiatives in post-secondary education ===
<!-- for important countries you will want to  divide this into universities, polytechnics and colleges -->
<!-- include virtual campuses and virtual universities (distance education) as well as on-campus initiatives  -->
<!-- include virtual campuses and virtual universities (distance education) as well as on-campus initiatives  -->




==  Lessons learnt ==
==  Lessons learnt ==
<!-- you cannot write this until other material is complete and you have had time to review it  -->
<!-- you cannot write this until other material is complete and you have had time to review it  -->


Line 139: Line 254:


=== Notable practices ===
=== Notable practices ===
<!-- include exemplar practices (ones to follow) as well as practices to avoid  -->
<!-- include exemplar practices (ones to follow) as well as practices to avoid  -->




== References ==
== References ==
<!-- cite the relevant Wikipedia, OECD, UNESCO, EU, EUN, ICT4D, etc reports -->
<!-- cite the relevant Wikipedia, OECD, UNESCO, EU, EUN, ICT4D, etc reports -->
 
# Trends in ICT for Education in the Caribbean, http://www.educationcaribbean.com/ict4e/trends.asp
# Higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2008; 2009, http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001917/191721e.pdf


----
----
Line 153: Line 267:
>> [[Main Page]]
>> [[Main Page]]


[[Category:Pangaea]]
[[Category:Commonwealth LAC| Cz]]
<!-- Don't forget to change "Pangaea" to the relevant country -->
<!-- Also add categories for language communities -->
 
<!-- Also add relevant containing continent or continental/oceanic/political (sub)regions -->


<!-- Also add categories for language communities -->


[[Category:Countries in supraregion template]]


[[Category:Countries in merged template]]
[[Category:VISCED]]
[[Category:VISCED]]

Latest revision as of 11:36, 29 January 2013

by Paul Bacsich, Sero

For entities in Commonwealth LAC see Category:Commonwealth LAC


Partners and Experts in Commonwealth LAC

There are no Re.ViCa or VISCED partners in the region.

There are no current members of IAC in the region - this issue needs attention --pbacsich 12:24, 12 August 2011 (CEST)


Countries in Commonwealth LAC

The material here is adapted from Commonwealth LAC.

Commonwealth LAC consists of all those countries in the Caribbean (and adjacent regions of Central America and South America) which are either members of the Commonwealth of Nations or British overseas territories of the UK.

Commonwealth members in LAC

These are also all full members of CARICOM:

  1. Antigua and Barbuda
  2. Jamaica
  3. St Lucia
  4. St Vincent and the Grenadines
  5. The Bahamas - east of the Caribbean
  6. Barbados
  7. Belize - in Central America
  8. Dominica
  9. Trinidad and Tobago
  10. Grenada
  11. Guyana - in South America
  12. St Kitts and Nevis


Realm of the UK - British Overseas Territories

These are all Associate Members of CARICOM:

  1. Anguilla
  2. Bermuda - out east of the Caribbean
  3. British Virgin Islands
  4. Cayman Islands
  5. Falkland Islands - east of South America
  6. Montserrat - full member of CARICOM
  7. Turks and Caicos Islands


Education in Commonwealth LAC

The countries of Commonwealth LAC have all maintained many aspects of the British educational system, in the context of efforts to respond to the specific needs of the Caribbean culture and people.

As in most of the world the Education System is divided into four tiers:

  • Early Childhood (Pre-primary) Education
  1. Primary Education
  2. Secondary Education
  3. Tertiary Education

Special Needs Education and Adult Education are also seen as important.


Schools in Commonwealth LAC

Most countries have compulsory primary level education. This is generally offered free of charge in the public schools.

(In contrast, in the Dutch-speaking Caribbean, both private and public schools are subsidised by the government provided that they comply with the legal requirements for establishing schools.)

Primary schools

In most countries children enter primary school at 5 (Guyana, Jamaica and Turks and Caicos: 6). This phase typically lasts 7 years, 6 in some countries, and 8 in Belize.


Secondary schools

The typical entrance age is 12 (but 11 in Bahamas and Cayman, 13 in Belize).

Secondary school normally lasts 4-7 years until typically age 17 - but 18 and even 19 in some countries.

The lower level of exit qualification is Caribbean Examinations Council Secondary Education Certificate (CXC-SEC) or the English-style GCE O Level.

Many countries offer in some schools a Sixth Form providing two years of tertiary level education leading to qualifications for university entrance. At these schools the exit qualification is the English-style GCE A Level or the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) certificate.

Other secondary schools offer technical and vocational education. The exit qualification is typically City & Guilds of London Institute, London Chamber of Commerce, Royal Society of Arts, etc.


Further and Higher education

There are very few full-status universities in the supraregion.


Universities in Commonwealth LAC

The main institutions seem to be:

  1. University of the West Indies - a large, multi-campus and distance teaching university
  2. The University of Belize
  3. St. Georges University - Grenada (but largely a medical school for US students)
  4. University of Guyana
  5. North Caribbean University, Jamaica
  6. University of Technology, Jamaica
  7. University of Trinidad and Tobago

Thus most of the island countries do not have their own university. However, since there are only two countries with population over 1 million (Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago) and only a further five with population over 100,000 (Bahamas, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada), this is not surprising.


Polytechnics in Commonwealth LAC

Tertiary-level institutions other than universities include:

  1. Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic
  2. University College of Cayman Islands
  3. Cyril Potter College of Education - Guyana
  4. Caribbean Graduate School of Theology
  5. University College of the Caribbean - Jamaica
  6. Moneague Teachers’ College - Jamaica
  7. St. Josephs Teachers’ College - Jamaica
  8. St. Michaels Theological College - Jamaica
  9. West Indies School of Theology - Trinidad and Tobago


Colleges in Commonwealth LAC

An incomplete list of colleges that appear to be known beyond their base island includes:

  1. Antigua State College
  2. College of Bahamas
  3. Barbados Community College
  4. Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity
  5. Codrington College Codrington - Barbados
  6. Bermuda College
  7. H. Lavity Stoutt Community College - BVI
  8. Cayman Institute of Technology
  9. Dominica State College
  10. T.A. Marryshaw Community College - Grenada.com
  11. Cyril Potter College of Education - Guyana
  12. Guyana School of Agriculture
  13. Bethlehem Community College - Jamaica
  14. Browns Town Community College - Jamaica
  15. Caribbean Maritime Institute - Jamaica
  16. College of Agriculture, Science and Education - Jamaica.jm
  17. Edna Manley College - Jamaica
  18. Excelsior Community College
  19. University College of the Caribbean - Jamaica
  20. Jamaica Theological Seminary
  21. Knox Community College - Jamaica
  22. Moneague Teachers’ College - Jamaica
  23. Montego Bay Community College - Jamaica
  24. Montserrat Community College
  25. Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College – St Kitts
  26. Sir Arthur Lewis Community College – St Lucia
  27. St. Vincent Community College – St Vincent
  28. St. Vincent Technical College
  29. Cipriani College of Labour & Cooperative Studies – Trinidad and Tobago
  30. College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago ( COSTAATT)
  31. The Professional Institute of Marketing & Business Srudies (PIMBS) - Trinidad and Tobago
  32. Trinidad & Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute
  33. Turks and Caicos Islands Community College

Education reform

Schools

Post-secondary

A number of initiatives have taken place, sometimes under the instigation of UWI, to build up the capability of Caribbean universities to complete with non-Caribbean institutions for Caribbean students.

There is still much concern about the sector. See for example "Perspectives on Higher Education in the Anglophone Caribbean" in Higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2008; 2009, http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001917/191721e.pdf. The paper starts uncompromisingly with stating that all words in its title are contestable:

Neither HE nor the ‘Anglophone Caribbean’ is easy to define. What constitutes the tertiary sector of an education system may vary considerably from country to country.

The authors are uncompromising in their views:

Harvey and Marrett (2008) estimate that there are now ‘close to 30 non-Spanish - speaking

universities (after Austin and Marrett, 2002). They continue:

Since 2002 the region has seen a trend towards the establishment (actual or planned) of other universities, both public and private, largely through the amalgamation of existing tertiary institutions. Another trend over the past 20 or so years is the establishment of offshore universities in a number of Caribbean countries, some of which are accessible to Caribbean citizens ( p.301).
How many of these new institutions really qualify by normal international standards for the title of ‘university’ is open to question.

Administration and finance

There is a comprehensive directory of Ministries of Education at http://www.educationcaribbean.com/directory/ministries.asp

Schools

Primary education is normally free (except in private schools).

Post-secondary

Quality assurance, inspection and accreditation

Schools

Post-secondary

Information society

In most countries less than 10% of the population has access to computers and a fraction of that number have access to the Internet.


ICT in education initiatives

Several countries have been undertaking education reform exercises geared at preparing their citizens for the 21st century and competition in the global workplace. As elsewhere, the main characteristics of the process have included curriculum reform, changes to the teaching methodology and assessment processes, with technology serving as a catalyst for change. See the separate country reports.


Virtual initiatives in schools

Virtual initiatives in post-secondary education

Lessons learnt

General lessons

Notable practices

References

  1. Trends in ICT for Education in the Caribbean, http://www.educationcaribbean.com/ict4e/trends.asp
  2. Higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2008; 2009, http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001917/191721e.pdf

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