During a recent plenary sitting of the National Youth Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda, youth government leaders have put forward a sweeping plan to transform the nation’s education system, centered on expanding accessible tertiary pathways and updating compulsory education rules. The resolution, officially named the Education Equity, Youth Development and Protection Resolution 2026, was passed with unanimous support from all 14 sitting members, signaling broad consensus among young representatives on the urgent need for systemic change. Cyniya Ireland, who holds the positions of Deputy Prime Minister of the National Youth Parliament as well as Minister of National Security, Justice and Legal Affairs in the youth legislative body, led the push for one of the resolution’s most high-profile priorities: establishing a full four-year engineering degree program at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Five Islands Campus. Currently, the only engineering qualification offered at the associated ABCAS institution is an associate degree, a limitation that has long frustrated local students hoping to pursue full undergraduate study without leaving the country. In her address to the sitting on Friday, Ireland directly acknowledged the ongoing calls from engineering students for expanded options. “I also wish to let my engineers know at the ABCAS institution that we hear your cries that the engineering degree only ends at an associate,” Ireland stated. She added that the youth government is actively advocating to ensure the UWI Five Islands Campus will roll out a full bachelor’s degree in engineering, clarifying after her speech that the statement reflects the youth government’s official policy proposal, not a pre-approved announcement from the university itself. Beyond the push for expanded engineering education, the resolution outlines two core interconnected priorities: raising the national compulsory education age from 16 to 18, and building a more flexible, inclusive education ecosystem that caters to the diverse strengths and career goals of all young people. Ireland emphasized that any increase to the compulsory schooling age must be paired with a wide range of structured pathways, not just traditional academic curricula. Too often, she argued, policymakers overlook young people who thrive outside conventional classroom settings, whether in entrepreneurship, creative industries like music, technical trades, or other vocational fields. The resolution specifically addresses the gap in support for young people who leave secondary school without formal qualifications, gainful employment, or access to further training, calling for targeted interventions to connect this group with meaningful opportunities. At its core, the 2026 education resolution frames the expansion of pathways as a matter of equity. It argues against the longstanding narrative that traditional academic degrees are the only valid route to successful adulthood, instead calling for robust investment in credible academic, technical, vocational, professional, and entrepreneurial training tracks. A key structural reform called for in the text is strengthening coordination between secondary education, technical and vocational training, tertiary institutions, apprenticeship programs, and local employers, to create clear, connected pathways that lead from learning directly to sustainable employment. The push for a full engineering degree at the Five Islands Campus aligns perfectly with this broader vision, as it would extend a clear pathway for engineering students beyond the associate level, eliminating the need for many to relocate or abandon their career goals due to limited local options. Following hours of debate on the resolution’s text, all 14 participating Youth Parliament members voted in favor of the proposal, marking a rare show of cross-group unity on youth-focused education policy. The unanimous passing of the resolution puts forward a clear set of demands from Antigua and Barbuda’s youth representatives to national policymakers, centered on the idea that equitable education requires meeting students where they are, rather than forcing all learners into a one-size-fits-all system.
Youth Parliament Says UWI Five Islands Should Offer Engineering Degree
