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There are three kinds of primary and secondary schools: Government owned or maintained; assisted private and non-assisted or independent schools. Government assisted private schools are at the secondary level only.
Mindful of the importance of education to a country, the Government offers assistance in a number of ways: in government schools, expenditure is met from the public coffers; the private assisted schools receive grants for covering the salaries for some of the teachers, subventions to include specialized subjects on the curriculum and bursaries to assist some children.
Furthermore, pupils attending government-approved secondary schools receive books under the Textbook Loan Scheme.
Tertiary education also receives a boost since the economic cost of Barbadian students attending the University of the West Indies, is paid by the Government.
Primary
Schools
The term “Primary” describes education for children
from 3 - 11 years and therefore includes nursery (3 - 7 years) and junior (8 -
11 years). There are 80 primary schools with an enrolment of approximately 26,
627 pupils and about 1,559 teachers providing the quality education crucial to
the further development of the country’s human resources. At these schools
children drawn from all social and economic backgrounds benefit from a Government
policy of providing school meals at low cost. There are 28 private nursery and
primary schools with a collective student body of 3, 313 pupils. The educational
needs of these students are provided for by 218 teachers.
Through the Education Sector Enhancement Programme (EDUTECH 2000), Government is seeking to upgrade the primary school plants, provide retooling for teachers, initiate curriculum reform and the integration of information technologies into the teaching-learning process.
Early
Childhood and Nursery Schools
Provision is made for the education of children from three years old at Primary
Schools where there is physical space as well as the necessary facilities to deliver
the curriculum. In addition to a trained teacher in the Nursery classes at the
Primary School, there is an appropriately trained volunteer who assists with non-teaching
activities.
Secondary
Schools
Secondary education is provided for children 9 - 18 years old.
There are 21 government co-educational schools and two single sex schools.
There are presently 23 government secondary schools with an enrolment of 20, 435 students and 1,304 teachers. In addition there are eight assisted private secondary schools with a student population of 1, 317 and approximately 97 teachers.
Free education is available to all students attending the island’s government secondary schools, where the quality of instruction is enhanced by an even distribution of trained and graduate teachers.
Both private and government schools help Barbados to provide compulsory education for all up to age 16. Our literacy rate is currently 97%.
Senior
Schools
There is currently one senior school on the island, the St. Giles
Senior School. It has a roll of 114 students some of whom were transferred from
the senior section of the St. Lawrence Composite School which now has been renamed
the St. Lawrence Primary School.
The St. Giles Senior School continues to provide a practical and functional programme, providing these senior students with the requisite skills and knowledge to make a meaningful contribution to the society.
Special
Schools
There
are two special schools, the Irvine Wilson and the Ann Hill Schools. One caters
to children with visual and hearing impairments, the other to the mentally challenged.
Some students with special needs are incorporated into five primary schools.
Government is in the process of further integrating some children with special needs into the mainstream of the school system.
There is one institution that conducts an out of school suspension programme for students of secondary school age.
Tertiary Institutions
Erdiston Teachers' Training College
The College opened in 1948 with
32 students. It is co-educational and provides training for non-graduate and graduate
teachers.
The college has been structured to enhance the quality of education through the delivery of pre-service, in-service and continuing education programmes for teachers and other persons interested in education and training. Part of the strategy will involve an expanded mandate to allow students to pursue the Diploma of Education, Certificate of Educational Management and Administration and Bachelor of Education conferments.
Samuel
Jackman Prescod Polytechnic
The Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic was
opened in January 1970 with both day and evening classes . The institution now
has over 2,000 students and provides courses in electrical, building and engineering
trades, commerce, agriculture and garment studies. The campus opened at Wildey,
St. Michael in May 1982 with an additional faculty for Human Ecology including
Cosmetology and Home Economics.
In addition to its regular students, the Polytechnic provides institutional training for apprentices of the Barbados Vocational Training Board.
Barbados
Community College
The Barbados Community College is a tertiary educational
institution offering a wide range of programmes in academic, vocational and technical
areas.
An Associate Degree programme was started in September 1987 and offers qualification in areas pursued in the eight divisions at the College. A Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts was introduced in 1996 and a Bachelor’s Degree in Education - (Industrial Arts and Home Economics) in 1997.
The programmes offered in these divisions include: Fine Arts, Health Sciences, Hospitality Studies, Liberal Arts, Science, Technology which lead to various professional and vocational qualifications through appropriate examinations.
The
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies on the
three campuses, in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, caters to students
from the English-speaking Caribbean. However, it serves Guyana in the Faculties
of Medicine and Law only.
The University offers a number of degrees and certificate courses at the three campuses, but the Faculty of Law is located in Barbados, at the Cave Hill Campus. There is, however, a law school in each of the other campuses.
In 1985 the University created the Office of University Services with a Director at Cave Hill. Its objective is to serve the needs of the non-campus teritories
Affiliated bodies include two located in Barbados: the theological institute, Codrington College, which offers the B.A. and L. Th.; the Caribbean Meteorological Institute which offers the B. Sc., meteorological component of the B. Sc. in meteorology, under agreement with the Caribbean Meteorological Council.
In an effort to create a pool of highly efficient and effective managers in public and private sectors who would lead the economic recovery in various territories, the University of the West Indies launched the Centre for Management Development (CMD) at the Cave Hill Campus. The C.M.D. is a semi-autonomous institution which provides training for executive management leading to the conferment of the Executive M.B.A. degree.
The Cave Hill campus is a link in the UWIDITE network. UWIDITE is a telecommunications network linking the three campuses and some of the non-campus territories. UWIDITE provides tele-conferencing and allows for distance teaching to name but two advantages.
The
Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity (BIMAP)
BIMAP was established
in 1971 by the joint efforts of Government and the private sector to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of management - public and private, and to increase
national productivity.
BIMAP offers a comprehensive ranges of services in areas of management training, consulting and research and small business development to its members and clients. The training programme is oriented towards the needs of personnel at the operational, supervisory and management levels.
The institute has refocussed its objectives to include the expansion of the BIMAP Entrepreneurial Development Programme to provide greater opportunities for self-employment, as well as the introduction of new areas of specialization in the Diploma of Management Studies programme.
Skills
Training Programme
Government established the Skills Training Programme
in 1979 to provide short, intensive - "decentralised" and community
based instruction - using light equipment to reach young people in or near the
place where they live and where they may use the skills. The programme caters
for skills such as Auto-mechanics; Electrical Installation; Horticulture; Key
Punch Operation; Leather Work; Masonry; Needlecraft; Plumbing; Steel-bending;
Upholstery and Woodwork. The Skills Training Programme is also serving as a feeder
to the Barbados Vocational Training Board's Apprenticeship Programme. The project
when measured by the objectives set, has been successful.
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