Overview of Caribbean Education
Education across many English-speaking Caribbean countries follow a British-patterned style system and approach from primary up to tertiary levels of education.
To understand education across country markets in the region, it is important to have knowledge of the region and key mechanisms in place that governs and regulate the administration and delivery of education across countries.
To understand education across country markets in the region, it is important to have knowledge of the region and key mechanisms in place that governs and regulate the administration and delivery of education across countries.
CARICOM
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Countries in the English-speaking Caribbean are part of the regional trade bloc known as CARICOM, which stands for Caribbean Community. CARICOM comprises primarily English-speaking countries along with Dutch and French speaking countries such as Suriname and Haiti. Additionally, while Bermuda is not part of the Caribbean region, the country has associate member status. Of the twenty countries in the group, fifteen countries have full member states status while five are associate members.
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CARICOM provides a socio-economic space for its members to integrate on matters at the local, regional and international level. The components of integration are based on the four main pillars: Economic integration, foreign policy coordination, human and social development and security. Under these pillars member states collaborate, cooperate and support initiatives that seek to improve the overall standard of living and quality of life for citizens, businesses and the environment.
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When it comes to Education, the Council of Human and Social Development (COHSOD) oversees such matters as well as governs CARICOM institutions that manage such issues. For educational matters, The Caribbean Examination Council known by the acronym CXC is a CARICOM institution formed to develop curriculum and manage the execution of examinations for students across 16 of the 20 CARICOM member countries.
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Caribbean Examination Council
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CXC delivers a suite of qualifications at both the primary and secondary school level which include: Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment™ (CPEA™), Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence® (CCSLC®), *Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ), Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC), Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination® (CAPE®) and the CXC® Associate Degree (CXC®-AD).
Countries across the CARICOM bloc that subscribes to CXC are:
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Turks and Caicos Islands. |
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CXC also works collaboratively with Dutch Caribbean countries such as: Curacao, Saba, St Eustatius, St. Maarten and Suriname.
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CXC Curriculum
Public secondary schools subscribe to curriculum provided by the Caribbean Examination Council and therefore would take CXC based examinations. For persons in public secondary schools, the following school leaving exams are used to matriculate into post-secondary and/or tertiary institutions:
*Qualification may be accepted by some regional institutions for certain programmes. |
Other Curriculum
In addition to the curriculum delivered by CXC, there are other curriculum administered and delivered primarily by private educational institutions in various countries in the region. Over the last decade there has been an increase in private education institutions delivering K-12 education due to the increase demand. Some private schools may subscribe to CXC, while others may administer and deliver other curriculum. These include:
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Post-Secondary and Tertiary Education
Post-secondary education varies across countries where in some cases, the highest level of post-secondary education is at the state college level of tertiary education while in other countries, there are universities offering undergraduate to doctoral level studies.
The University of the West Indies (UWI) is the dominant tertiary education provider with campuses in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Additionally, the University of the West Indies established The UWI Open Campus which delivers distance programs to students across CARICOM countries. UWI is an accredited tertiary institution across CARICOM. According to Times Higher Education in 2020, UWI is one of the top 20 institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Similarly to private primary and secondary schools, there has also been an increase in the number of private tertiary institutions in some CARICOM Countries. Some of these institutions include off-shore US curriculum-based medical schools, for example, Ross University in Barbados and Saint Kitts, and St. George's University in Grenada. Some overseas institutions have also set up satellite campuses in some CARICOM countries, for example, the New York based Monroe College, which has a campus in Saint Lucia.
The University of the West Indies (UWI) is the dominant tertiary education provider with campuses in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Additionally, the University of the West Indies established The UWI Open Campus which delivers distance programs to students across CARICOM countries. UWI is an accredited tertiary institution across CARICOM. According to Times Higher Education in 2020, UWI is one of the top 20 institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Similarly to private primary and secondary schools, there has also been an increase in the number of private tertiary institutions in some CARICOM Countries. Some of these institutions include off-shore US curriculum-based medical schools, for example, Ross University in Barbados and Saint Kitts, and St. George's University in Grenada. Some overseas institutions have also set up satellite campuses in some CARICOM countries, for example, the New York based Monroe College, which has a campus in Saint Lucia.
