Successful Innovations in Caribbean Education

Successful Innovations in Caribbean Education. In, Education for the Twenty-First Century: Issues and Prospects. Editor Jacques Delors. 1998: UNESCO Paris describes innovations in the Commonwealth Caribbean and Dutch-speaking Caribbean in the second half of the 20^th century. As background this Chapter places Caribbean education in historical and global contexts with respect to provision, participation, and performance.

Historical Context and Global Comparisons

A central point of the Chapter is that several Caribbean countries have schools that have operated continuously for more than 200 years, as a result, most students and parents place a high value on education and demand that education credentials can be negotiated internationally. Also, that the performance of Caribbean countries overlaps significantly with industrialized countries on basic human needs indicators despite the disparities of per capita GDP. Empirical evidence to support this argument is presented by comparisons of the ranking of education indicators of Caribbean countries and industrialized countries on the UN Development index of 1993; of Caribbean countries ranking of the 127 developing countries of the 1993 UNESCO Index tracking progress with respect to provision, participation and performance toward Education for All; and literacy rates of population of industrialized countries and Caribbean countries.

Caribbean Innovations in Education

The drivers for Caribbean innovations in education are identified as the demand of students and parents that Caribbean education credentials be internationally negotiable and participation in Caribbean education for reasons of upward social mobility and escape from persistent poverty.

The list of successfully Innovations in Caribbean Education described and discussed are:

• School-based Management and democratization of School Boards in Jamaica
• Early Childhood education across the Caribbean sub-region
• The inclusion of Caribbean Content in the Curriculum
• Innovation in First Language Education in the Dutch Caribbean
• Comprehensive Secondary Education in St Kitts and Nevis
• Caribbean Education Council (CXC) Common Exit Standards for High Schools
• Regional Cooperation in Teacher Education
• Community Colleges
• Innovation in University Education: The University of the West Indies
• Non-Formal Education Programs:

1. SERVOL: Adolescent Development Programme, Trinidad and Tobago
2. JAMAL: Adult Literacy Programme Jamaica
3. HEART/NTA Jamaica