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Commonwealth LAC - Supraregion report
first draft by Paul Bacsich, Sero
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:
- 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
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
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 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.