Education

Preface

The development of learning outcomes for the core curriculum in OECS primary and lower secondary schools is an essential part of the harmonization of OECS educational systems. The curriculum harmonization process commenced a decade ago with discussions between the OECS Education Reform Unit (OERU) and educational personnel in all member countries (See Eastern Caribbean Education Reform Project: Initiative on curriculum and remediation – Design Mission report, February 1998).

Skills Strategy Options for the OECS
A Report to the OECS and the World Bank

Executive Summary

The Caribbean states of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St.
Vincent and the Grenadines have achieved middle income status since gaining independence from the
UK in 1974‐1983. Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and Montserrat, self‐governing states that have the
status of British Overseas Territories have seen similar economic progress. The first six are Member
States of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), a sub‐regional organization for
cooperation and development; the latter three are Associate Members. With the Revised Treaty of
Basseterre expected to be ratified by Member States in 2011, the OECS is to create a new Economic
Union that will have a stronger legislative role in sub‐regional collaboration.

OECS Education Reform Unit (OERU)
Curriculum Development and Student
Remediation

The document, Foundation for the future: OECS Education Reform Strategy
(Miller et al 1991) provides the background for the curriculum and student
remediation projects being implemented by the OECS member countries
working together as a unit and facilitated by the OERU Curriculum
Specialist. The OECS Education Reform Unit (OERU) has the overall
responsibility for harmonizing curricula in the core subject areas across
the OECS.

Monitoring Education Reform in the OECS

Current education indicators place the OECS Member States well above the average for all countries at similar levels of economic development. Universal primary education targets have been largely achieved, while early childhood, secondary and tertiary level enrolments continue to climb. While considerable progress in education reform was
achieved in the last decade of the 20th Century, rapid changes in our regional economy require further development of our human resource base so as to compete in the global economy of the next century. Continuous improvements in education are needed to adjust to new and ever-changing economic realities.

GROUP 3
TASK

• What should be the immediate priorities for a
modern curriculum development effort in the
OECS?

READING:
A KEY TO SUCCESS
******
WAYS PARENTS CAN HELP
INFORMATION***INFORMATION***INFORMATION

READING is one of the basic skill subjects - one that is crucial
for successful school performance. But reading is also a
complex process involving many skills. Three main types of
skills are word recognition, reading comprehension and
reading application skills.

SUB-REGIONAL STUDENT ATTITUDE
DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
St. Kitts, March 22, 2000
REMARKS By
Head, OERU- Lorna Callender

Around each child in the OECS there is a circle of projects ranging from the physical to the
behavioral. These projects are initiated and coordinated by the Education Reform Unit and are
designed so as to make educational improvement in all the OECS member states continuous,
relevant and meaningful.
In doing this we are fulfilling the mandate of the OECS Ministers of Education whose meeting in
1990 led to the commissioning of a Task Force and a resulting document Foundations for the
Future. The 65 strategies suggested in this document direct us in the selection of our priorities
when dealing with the reform of education in the OECS.

REPORT OF
EDUCATION DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS WORKSHOP
OECS Education Reform Unit (OERU)
September 12-14th, 2001

Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
The Workshop was convened at the Conference Room of Cara Lodge, Kingstown, St.
Vincent. All OECS countries were represented except for the British Virgin Islands,
whose representative was affected by flight cancellations due to the attack on the USA
the morning of travel. St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ full attendance was affected by
an unavoidable conflicting undertaking. See Participants’ list Appendix # 1.

Report On
Assistance to OERU and OECS Member
States With Data Collection Related to Education
Statistics and Performance Indicators
May, 2001

Consultant: Esther Chitolie-Joseph

Introduction

The overall objective of this consultancy was to work with the OERU and selected
member states to facilitate the required data collection, related analyses and written
reports that will reliably inform the region, ECERP, and others concerned on the current
status of education reform in the OECS.

Immediate Priorities …Modern Skill
Development
Priorities

• Development of
metacognitive, critical
thinking, problem solving
competencies;

• Adequate
resources/equipment/facilit
ies/materials

SKILL DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES
FOR THE OECS

• The issue of how do we define the range of skills
to be developed through our education systems…
a lack of empirical data to drive action

• Low levels of attainment of core literacies by our
student populations. A consequence of this is the
streaming of ‘high flyers’ into academic streams
and the ‘non‐academic’ encouraged into
‘technical’ programmes.

Challenges:

• Getting the private sector more involved in
the process of curriculum development

• The lack of curriculum experts

• Integrating the core skills with the
technical/vocational skills

• Identifying the gaps between institution

• The lack of labour market information (data)
that will guide decision