Carib Scope

分类： education

  • Dominican Government outlines plan for new 2026-2027 school year

    Dominican Government outlines plan for new 2026-2027 school year

    Top government leaders in the Dominican Republic have launched a comprehensive multi-faceted operational strategy to lay the groundwork for the 2026-2027 school year, addressing every critical pillar of public education from enrollment and educator support to infrastructure upgrades, learning materials, student welfare and transit access.

    President Luis Abinader joined Education Minister Luis Miguel De Camps to formally present the plan, which has undergone coordinated development and preparation since earlier this year. A core component of the strategy is a RD$1.251 billion school voucher program designed to ease the financial burden of back-to-school costs for low and middle-income families across the country. In a proactive move to avoid common back-to-school supply shortages, education officials have also accelerated the distribution of 8 million textbooks and workbooks, which will reach more than 2.08 million students enrolled in the nation’s public education system ahead of the first day of classes.

    On the infrastructure front, the Ministry of Education has set ambitious construction and safety targets. The agency expects to complete construction and open 1,509 new classrooms by the end of August this year, and will break ground on 266 additional new school facilities before December. As part of ongoing national seismic safety upgrades, authorities have identified 60 public school buildings with the dangerous structural flaw commonly referred to as “short columns”, and have already finished structural reinforcement work on 19 of these high-risk buildings, with remaining upgrades scheduled to be completed in the coming months.

    The government also emphasized major expansion of the National Student Transportation System, known locally as TRAE. The system now operates a fleet of 1,871 buses across 837 fixed routes spanning all 31 of the Dominican Republic’s provinces, providing transit access to 6,370 public schools across the country. To boost student safety during commutes, a new centralized monitoring center tracks every bus in the fleet in real time, allowing authorities to respond quickly to any emergencies or route disruptions.

    Education authorities outlined that the overarching goal of the new strategy is to deliver a seamless, stress-free start to the 2026-2027 academic year, while making long-term, systemic improvements to public education infrastructure, learning resources, transit accessibility and overall student well-being across the nation.

  • NBD recognizes ten students with Bright Future scholarships

    NBD recognizes ten students with Bright Future scholarships

    The National Bank of Dominica Ltd. (NBD) has marked a major milestone in its commitment to youth development, honoring 10 outstanding local students through its flagship Bright Future Scholarship Program while unveiling an updated iteration of the initiative designed to widen educational access and lift up aspiring learners across the island nation.

    The recent scholarship award ceremony brought together a cross-section of stakeholders: the newly selected recipients, their family members, local education leaders, and senior NBD staff, all gathering to celebrate the students’ proven track records of academic excellence, persistence in the face of challenges, demonstrated leadership capability, and unwavering dedication to achieving their goals. This year’s honorees are Akira Faustin, Anola Ducreay, Eden Nesty, Kellis Delsol, Maya Royer, Amelie Adams, Ashanti Darroux, Byron Barrie, Jaybee Fanfan and Malachi Christmas. With their selection, these young scholars join a rapidly expanding network of emerging Dominican leaders supported by NBD’s sustained investment in education and youth empowerment.

    In an official press statement, NBD explained that the revised program framework was crafted to deliver more targeted financial support and moral encouragement to high-achieving, deserving students from across Dominica. By addressing common financial barriers that often prevent promising young people from accessing continuing education, the bank aims to create more clear pathways for long-term professional and personal success for Dominican youth.

    Marketing Manager Michelle Joseph emphasized the far-reaching impact of the program beyond just financial aid, framing it as a core investment in Dominica’s long-term prosperity. “At NBD, we believe that education is one of the most powerful investments we can make in our nation’s future,” Joseph said. “The Bright Future Scholarship Program represents more than financial assistance. It is a commitment to empowering young people, unlocking potential, and creating opportunities for success. Today, we celebrate not only academic achievement but also the promise and possibilities that each scholarship recipient brings to Dominica’s future.”

    Deputy General Manager Cedric Charles echoed this sentiment, noting that the 10 selected recipients embody the drive and ambition that will drive Dominica’s national progress for decades to come. “These scholarships reflect NBD’s enduring commitment to supporting the communities we serve. We recognize that behind every outstanding student is a story of hard work, determination, and sacrifice,” Charles shared. “By investing in these young achievers, we are helping to develop future leaders, professionals, and innovators who will contribute meaningfully to the social and economic development of Dominica. We are proud to play a role in their educational journey and look forward to witnessing their continued success.”

    NBD board director Jodie Luke also offered remarks, commending the students for their demonstrated resilience, self-discipline, and relentless pursuit of excellence, and urging them to seize the new opportunities ahead with confidence and clear purpose. According to NBD’s official release, both the scholarship recipients and their families have expressed profound gratitude for the support, noting that the award will reshape their long-term educational and career trajectories in profoundly positive ways.

    Amelie Adams, one of this year’s selected scholars, shared her personal reaction to the honor: “I am truly grateful to NBD for this opportunity. This scholarship is an investment in my future and serves as a reminder that hard work and dedication can open doors. I am committed to making the most of this opportunity and pursuing my goals with determination.” The award solidifies NBD’s long-standing track record of investing in Dominican youth, and reinforces the institution’s core mission of strengthening local communities through expanded educational opportunity.

  • UWI Global Campus Dominica to induct new student and alumni executives

    UWI Global Campus Dominica to induct new student and alumni executives

    The University of the West Indies Global Campus Dominica is preparing to formally usher in its new cohort of student and alumni leadership for the 2026–2027 academic year, with a dedicated induction and reconfirmation ceremony scheduled for Thursday, September 3.

    This upcoming event will serve a dual purpose: it will honor returning leadership members of both the Guild of Students Dominica Chapter and the UWI Alumni Association Dominica Chapter, while also officially swearing in a group of newly elected executive members to the two organizations.

    For the student leadership body, the Student Guild will retain its top leadership with Amanda Theodore Langlais continuing her tenure as Chair. Two new faces will join the executive team: Migalena Francis will step into the role of Secretary, and Amari Pierre has been appointed as the new Public Relations Officer.

    On the alumni side, Keisha Polidor will return to her position as Chair of the UWI Alumni Association Dominica Chapter. Two new appointments round out the expanded executive: Odessa Dinard will serve as the official Guild Liaison Officer, and Gillian Robinson joins the body as an executive committee member.

    The ceremony is set to kick off at 7:00 PM local time, hosted in the UWI Auditorium on campus. Queen Thomas, Education Officer for Secondary Schools at Dominica’s Ministry of Education, has been selected as the featured keynote speaker for the event. Thomas’s address will center on the ceremony’s core theme: “Leading with Empathy.”

    Senior UWI Global Campus Dominica officials have publicly extended their gratitude to both returning executive members and incoming appointees. In their remarks, leaders emphasized appreciation for the volunteer time and professional expertise that all leadership members contribute, highlighting their ongoing commitment to supporting current UWI students and strengthening the broader university community through service.

  • CTEC and the Question of Standards: Setting the Record Straight

    CTEC and the Question of Standards: Setting the Record Straight

    BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS – As public discourse grows around the Caribbean Examinations Council’s (CXC) new Caribbean Targeted Education Certificate (CTEC), the organization’s Registrar and Chief Executive Officer Wayne Wesley has stepped forward to address widespread questions about the modular qualification’s academic standards, structure, and intended impact across the region’s education landscape.

    Wesley notes that public scrutiny of CTEC is a healthy part of educational innovation, and opens by framing the new certification as a targeted response to a decades-long crisis in Caribbean education: thousands of secondary students leave the system every year without recognized certification in Mathematics, a foundational requirement for further study, skills training, and entry to the workforce. Traditional one-size-fits-all assessment structures have failed to serve the needs of all learners, he argues, creating an urgent need for alternative pathways that recognize incremental progress.

    The most common criticism leveled at CTEC is that it represents a deliberate lowering of academic standards designed to inflate pass rates through easier assessments. Wesley pushes back firmly against this claim, emphasizing that CTEC’s Mathematics modules draw from the same syllabus, test the same mandated learning outcomes, and are held to the same rigorous quality assurance standards that underpin all existing CXC qualifications. The only difference between CTEC and traditional assessment models is the pathway to certification, not the bar for competence, he explains.

    Unlike traditional terminal examinations that require students to demonstrate mastery of an entire subject’s content in a single high-stakes sitting, CTEC allows learners to earn credit for focused, modular sections of the syllabus over time. This modular structure is not equivalent to simplifying content, Wesley stresses. Modular and stackable credentials have long been accepted as a legitimate assessment model by universities, professional bodies, and certification agencies across the globe, with academic rigor remaining the core priority for CXC.

    The modular approach directly solves a well-documented flaw of all-or-nothing high-stakes testing, Wesley argues. Many students master large portions of the Mathematics syllabus but walk away with no formal recognition of their achievement simply because they could not demonstrate full mastery on a single exam day. CTEC reframes success from a binary “pass or fail” outcome to a cumulative process: every completed module delivers documented, verified proof of learning, building incrementally toward the full qualification. This structure does not reduce expectations; it creates a more accessible, manageable pathway for learners to demonstrate their skills.

    Wesley also addresses transparency concerns around how CTEC credentials will be interpreted by employers and higher education institutions. He confirms that CXC agrees full transparency is non-negotiable for a credential to hold value: completion of a single CTEC module only certifies competence in that specific module’s learning outcomes, and does not represent completion of the full subject qualification. The full CTEC subject qualification is only awarded once all required modules are successfully completed and all certification requirements are met.

    To eliminate ambiguity for stakeholders, CXC plans to expand guidance for employers and higher education institutions, redesign official transcripts, and update certification documentation to clearly distinguish between partial module completion and full qualification achievement. The organization’s core goal, Wesley says, is to ensure every learner’s progress is recognized accurately and transparently.

    On questions of whether the full CTEC qualification is equivalent in mastery to the traditional terminal examination, Wesley notes that assessment validity depends on whether competencies are accurately measured and standards are maintained – not on whether testing occurs in a single sitting or spread across multiple sittings. The CTEC framework is built to require candidates to demonstrate proficiency across all required learning domains before awarding a full qualification. Recognizing that public confidence requires tangible evidence rather than just assurance, CXC will conduct ongoing evaluation of progression patterns, completion rates, performance outcomes, and qualification standards as the program scales.

    Critics have also raised concerns about the risk of a “pass and forget” phenomenon, where learners complete modules and do not retain earlier foundational knowledge as they progress. Wesley explains that cumulative reinforcement of earlier learning is built into the progressive modular pathway, and CXC has already implemented a maximum time limit for completing modules toward a full qualification to mitigate this risk. He notes that this challenge is not unique to CTEC, and CXC will continue to monitor learner progression and refine support structures as the program evolves, consistent with the organization’s commitment to pairing innovation with ongoing evaluation.

    Another pressing concern addressed is the risk that CTEC could deepen educational inequality if it becomes a de facto second-tier pathway primarily used by under-resourced schools, while more privileged institutions continue to rely exclusively on traditional assessment routes. Wesley stresses that this concern is taken very seriously by CXC, noting that CTEC was never designed to serve a specific group of learners, schools, or communities. Instead, it was built to expand opportunity for all diverse learners, including in-school students, out-of-school youth, adult learners, and those pursuing flexible learning routes.

    Wesley says the success of CTEC will not be measured solely by participation or pass rates. It will be judged by whether it expands access, supports consistent learner progression, delivers completed qualifications, earns stakeholder confidence, and reduces opportunity gaps. CXC’s goal is not to create a parallel, two-tier education system, but to broaden access to rigorous, recognized certification while upholding longstanding academic standards.

    Wesley concludes by emphasizing that CTEC is only one component of broader educational transformation across the Caribbean. The qualification is not a substitute for systemic education reform, nor a shortcut to improved outcomes. It is an additional pathway that allows learners to build competence, earn verified credentials, and progress incrementally toward recognized qualifications that open doors to future opportunity.

    Welcoming ongoing public debate about the future of Caribbean education, Wesley notes that the questions being raised about CTEC are not obstacles to its success – they are the exact questions responsible educational institutions must address to improve learner outcomes. As CXC moves forward with implementation, the organization remains committed to transparency, evidence-based policy, stakeholder engagement, and unwavering maintenance of academic standards. Ultimately, CTEC will be judged by one metric: whether it helps more Caribbean learners demonstrate real competence, earn recognized credentials, access new opportunities, and reach their full potential. That is the standard CXC uses to hold itself accountable.

  • Progress Made, Challenges Ignored

    Progress Made, Challenges Ignored

    As the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) releases its 2026 preliminary examination results for multiple certification levels, the moment offers both an opportunity to honor students’ hard work and a critical juncture to address longstanding gaps in regional assessment transparency and system integrity.

    First, it is important to extend congratulations to every candidate who crossed this key academic threshold, and to recognize high-achieving students for their dedication. Outstanding performers deserve full commendation, not pressure to downplay their success; a core goal of education should always be to encourage every learner to reach their maximum potential. For candidates who did not get the results they hoped for, the broader education community – from parents and guardians to teachers – must offer targeted empathy and support. Crucially, all students must be reminded that while academic results carry weight, they do not define a person’s worth or future potential. These assessments are just one chapter in a much longer life journey. We also acknowledge the collective effort of every stakeholder in the regional education ecosystem: CXC administrative staff, CARICOM education ministries, school leaders, classroom teachers, private tutors, students and family members, all of whom contribute to making these large-scale examination cycles possible.

    While the release of preliminary results for CAPE, CSEC, CVQ, CCSLC and other credentials is a welcome step, much deeper analysis and transparent data sharing are still needed. Education stakeholders across the region are awaiting more granular national and regional breakdowns, as well as comparable year-over-year data that allows for accurate assessment of trends. Based on the preliminary figures released, three core areas demand urgent, focused examination.

    The first issue is the urgent need for improved public reporting of pass rates. The 2026 regional pass rate (Grades 1-3) for CSEC stood at 72.18%, while CAPE posted an overall pass rate of 93.5% – but CXC defines CAPE passing grades as Grades 1-5, a framing that obscures a key reality: most competitive universities and employers do not view Grades 4 and 5 as strong passes, and even a Grade 3 often fails to meet entry requirements. While the 93.5% overall pass rate looks impressive on paper, CXC would serve the public far better by following international best practice and publishing disaggregated data: the share of candidates earning Grade 1, and the share earning Grades 1-3. For context, the United Kingdom publishes annual data on the proportion of students earning top A* and A grades at A Level, alongside detailed school-level performance data, to give stakeholders a full picture of outcomes.

    It is encouraging that the CSEC Mathematics pass rate rose to 42% in 2026, up from 38% in 2025 and 36% in 2024, an improvement that deserves recognition. However, CXC’s reporting has been inconsistent year over year. In 2024, the council publicly shared the share of candidates who passed five CSEC subjects including Mathematics and English A, a key benchmark required for most further education and employment opportunities – that figure came in at less than 5%, but no comparable statistic was included in this year’s result announcement. CARICOM member states should commit to publishing this critical benchmark and other comparable national statistics on an annual basis, to avoid incomplete narratives that prioritize surface-level self-congratulation over a full accounting of regional academic attainment.

    Second, a number of systemic challenges within CXC itself have been sidelined in public discussion, despite their impact on the reliability, validity and fairness of examinations. CXC’s annual post-exam analysis typically focuses on student-side issues: absenteeism, cheating, collusion, misuse of smartphones and more recently, inappropriate AI use in school-based assessments. The more than 35,000 absences recorded among CSEC and CAPE candidates this year are a major cause for concern that demands solution-oriented analysis: how does this figure compare to previous cycles, and what targeted support systems are needed to address the root causes of chronic absenteeism? While cheating is undeniably unacceptable, the 128 reported irregularities this year – even with an increase from 80 last year – represent less than 1% of all candidates, yet they receive far more public attention than far more impactful systemic issues rooted in CXC’s own operations.

    For example, the January 2026 hybrid e-testing cycle for English A and Mathematics drew widespread complaints from students and parents over connectivity failures, launch delays, unequal device access and lack of reliable paper backup options. CXC later hailed the cycle as a success, noting that more than 10,000 candidates across 17 Caribbean states completed the first fully electronic and hybrid assessment session. But the valid complaints raised by test-takers and their families cannot be omitted from any formal assessment of this transition to digital testing.

    Longstanding concerns have also persisted for years around examination administration, grading transparency and repeated reuse of multiple-choice test items. After the 2020 grading controversy, CXC’s own Independent Review Team recommended that the organization replenish and expand its test item banks on a fixed schedule, to avoid overuse and reduce the risk of security breaches for Paper 1 assessments. CXC subsequently outlined plans to address this recommendation, but public updates on progress have been lacking. Continued transparency around efforts to resolve these long-running issues is critical to maintaining public trust in the regional examination system. If core administrative basics cannot be delivered consistently, adding new layers of complexity to an already under-resourced system carries significant unnecessary risk.

    Another key concern is the persistent gender gap in participation: females make up 62% of CAPE candidates and 59% of CSEC candidates, a disparity that reinforces growing evidence that boys in the region face systemic educational barriers. That said, the framing of this issue by some commentators – including Dr Manning’s claim that “men are born leaders, and we have to … help them to stay in that place” – reflects outdated, gendered stereotypes that do not advance evidence-based solutions.

    Third, while CXC has declared the pilot of its new Caribbean Technical and Vocational Education and Training Certification (CTEC) a success, and the pilot demonstrates that CXC can effectively launch new credentials and digital assessment models, critical open questions remain. CTEC holds promise as an alternative pathway for students to earn skills recognition and industry-aligned certification, which fills an important gap in the current regional education landscape. But stakeholders need clear answers on how students will be supported to complete these new programs successfully, and what lessons have been learned from the discontinuation of the earlier Basic Proficiency CSEC pathway, to avoid repeating past missteps. Incorporating lessons from previous failed vocational pathways will be critical to ensuring CTEC delivers long-term value for students.

    After the 2020 grading controversy, CXC convened an Independent Review Team that put forward 23 actionable recommendations for systemic improvement. CXC published initial responses to these recommendations, noting which measures had been implemented and which remained in progress. Regular public updates on the implementation of these recommendations would allow stakeholders across the region to track progress and prioritize areas that still need attention. True continuous improvement of the regional examination system depends on three core pillars: transparency, accountability and public trust.

    This year’s results bring many achievements worth celebrating, from incremental improvements in core subject pass rates to the successful launch of a promising new vocational certification. But there are also serious systemic issues that demand open public discussion and targeted action. CXC, working alongside CARICOM’s regional leadership, owes the taxpaying public clear, honest answers on all the concerns raised in this analysis. Only through transparent self-reflection and sustained, intentional improvement can the region build an examination system that truly serves all students, and advance the educational transformation the Caribbean needs to support future generations.

  • H.O.W. with Halo Gives a Cool Start to TechByte STEM Academy

    H.O.W. with Halo Gives a Cool Start to TechByte STEM Academy

    A major step forward for youth STEM education has been made this week, as the Halo Foundation has formally transferred a set of new air conditioning units to Verlyn Richards, principal of St. John’s Catholic School. The equipment upgrade is intended to lay the groundwork for the campus’ upcoming TechByte STEM Academy, which is on track to welcome its first cohort of students in September 2026.

    The climate control upgrade will transform learning spaces at the academy, giving students a far more comfortable environment to dive into hands-on STEM projects, conduct exploratory work, and build technical skills outside the constraints of traditional, lecture-based classroom settings.

    The official handover ceremony was led by Her Excellency Lady Sandra Williams, president of the Halo Foundation. This donation is not an isolated contribution: it forms a core part of early preparations for the foundation’s new signature program, H.O.W. with Halo – short for Hope, Opportunity and Well-being through STEM. The initiative is being developed in partnership with Elijah James, founder of local tech platform The LocaL App, and aligns with Lady Williams’ long-standing commitments under the broader Fostering the Future Initiative.

    The H.O.W. with Halo program traces its roots to the Global Coalition Summit of First Spouses, an international gathering hosted by former U.S. First Lady Melania Trump in Washington, D.C., scheduled for March 24-25, 2026. At its core, the initiative aims to build accessible pathways for young people to develop the critical skills, foundational knowledge, and self-confidence needed to thrive in all areas of their future lives, whether they pursue further education, enter the workforce, or engage in civic leadership.

    In remarks at the handover, Lady Williams emphasized that intentional investment in accessible learning infrastructure is a prerequisite to creating impactful opportunities for youth. “Creating the right environment for young people to learn is an important part of creating meaningful pathways,” she said. “We want young people, especially girls, to have spaces where they can explore, experiment, build confidence and discover what they are capable of.”

    James echoed this focus on experiential learning, noting that existing youth programs under the partnership – DadliBots and BRIGHT Hacks – have long centered on learning through hands-on practice. “This support from Halo Foundation helps us create more interactive spaces where that learning can continue beyond the summer, towards a year-round model after-school model,” James explained.

    Looking ahead, the full launch of H.O.W. with Halo is designed to serve 3,000 students each year, and organizers are actively inviting other mission-aligned organizations to join the partnership to expand reach further. Additional details regarding student registration and available scholarship opportunities will be released publicly as the initiative approaches its official launch date.

  • NTI earns Special Mention at CBU Media Awards

    NTI earns Special Mention at CBU Media Awards

    A Barbadian educational organization has earned regional acclaim for its spotlight on how accessible learning drives inclusive advocacy, taking home a Special Mention at the 37th Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) Media Awards. The National Transformation Initiative (NTI) received the honorable recognition in the SDG Champion – Digital category for its profile interview with Janelle “STARR Bajan” Skinner, marking the organization’s first ever entry into the cross-regional media competition. NTI stands as one of just two first-time Barbadian entrants to win a Special Mention in this year’s awards cycle.

    The SDG Champion Award, sponsored by the United Nations Sub-Regional Team for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, celebrates media work that advances the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For its debut submission, NTI centered Skinner’s personal journey, a narrative that brings SDG 4 – the global commitment to inclusive, quality education for all – to vivid, tangible life through the experience of a local learner. NTI’s core mission centers on expanding access to free learning and professional development opportunities for all Barbadians, through a combination of its own programming and long-standing partnerships with global platforms like Coursera.

    In the award-nominated interview, Skinner, a lifelong wheelchair user, opened up about her decision to pursue formal courses on disability, diversity, equity and inclusion after repeatedly finding herself in conversations about disability rights where she felt underprepared to contribute meaningfully. “Before those courses, I stayed quiet because I didn’t want to say the wrong thing. I was stuck in my own head overthinking every word,” she explained. “But once I was able to take the academic theory I learned and put it into practice, I became far more vocal in these spaces.”

    Skinner also emphasized that ongoing learning has helped her grow as a disability advocate, pushing her to center intersectionality and recognize that the experiences of disabled people are not monolithic. Continued education, she said, has given her the tools to advocate more thoughtfully for the entire disability community.

    Racquel Griffith, NTI’s Communications Lead, shared that the regional recognition holds particular weight for the organization’s small team, coming on their first attempt at the CBU Awards. “For our first entry, we knew we wanted to submit work that was authentic to our mission and the stories we care about lifting up,” Griffith said. “Janelle’s experience stood out immediately: you can see exactly what learning made possible for her. She didn’t just gain new knowledge – she gained the confidence to speak up in spaces where she’d previously held back.”

    Griffith added that the story also reflects NTI’s core commitment to ensuring disabled people are fully included both in the learning opportunities the organization creates and the narratives it shares with the public. “To have Janelle’s story and our work recognized across the Caribbean is something we’re truly proud of,” she said.

    The award-winning interview was hosted by Alex Jordan and filmed by Selwyne Browne, bringing a deeply personal Barbadian story of learning, disability advocacy and resilience to a broader regional audience. In total, the 37th CBU Media Awards honored 92 recipients across the Caribbean region, with Barbados leading all participating countries this year with 15 full awards and eight Special Mention honors.

  • People’s Place Considered as Teaching Venue for UWI Law Students

    People’s Place Considered as Teaching Venue for UWI Law Students

    The University of the West Indies has announced that People’s Place will officially serve as a dedicated teaching and practical training venue for its law students, marking a key step in bridging academic legal education and real-world community legal practice. This initiative is designed to give emerging legal professionals hands-on experience working directly with community members who lack reliable access to affordable legal support. Unlike traditional classroom settings that focus heavily on theoretical frameworks and case study analysis, the new venue will allow students to engage with live client cases, assist with legal document preparation, and observe community-focused mediation and dispute resolution processes under the supervision of licensed practicing attorneys and UWI faculty members.

    Local legal advocacy groups have welcomed the partnership, noting that it addresses a long-standing gap in regional legal education: the disconnect between what law students learn in lecture halls and the actual needs of underserved communities across the West Indies. For People’s Place, which already operates as a community hub offering social support and public resources, the new partnership expands its mission to increase access to justice for low-income and marginalized populations. The program is scheduled to welcome its first cohort of UWI law students starting in the upcoming academic semester, with plans to expand student participation and service offerings over the next three years as the program is evaluated for long-term sustainability.

    UWI’s faculty of law has emphasized that the venue will not replace core coursework, but will complement traditional learning by giving students first-hand insight into the social and economic barriers that many clients face when seeking legal redress. Students will be able to earn elective credits for their time at the venue, with structured reflection assignments designed to help them connect their on-the-ground experiences to their academic studies. This model of community-engaged legal education is already being studied by other regional law schools, which are considering similar partnerships to expand practical training opportunities while increasing access to legal services for under-served communities.

  • Voicez United brings ‘Ready to Rise’ initiative home to Wotton Waven

    Voicez United brings ‘Ready to Rise’ initiative home to Wotton Waven

    For Stauna Soanes, co-founder of the nonprofit organization Voicez United, supporting Wotton Waven Primary School in Dominica extends far beyond a simple act of charity. It is a deeply personal mission to repay the community that laid the foundation for her own life journey. This personal tie is the core of Ready to Rise: Dominica 2026, the first structured educational initiative launched by Voicez United in collaboration with the small Roseau Valley campus.

    Per an official press announcement from the group, the program is built with two central goals: to equip local students with everything they need to hit the ground running when the new academic year begins, and to expand access to critical resources for both teaching staff and the broader school community that supports student growth. Currently, Wotton Waven Primary serves a student body of 22 children, led by a team of five classroom teachers, a school principal, and a National Education Plan mentor. All educational supplies for the initiative have been procured with space set aside to accommodate a modest projected increase in student enrollment in the coming term.

    Shipping containers packed with the donated supplies have already completed their journey to Dominica and are scheduled to be handed over to the country’s Ministry of Education next week. After the materials are transferred to the school, Principal Langford-Morancie and her staff will sort and organize all items ahead of a formal distribution event planned for Friday, September 4—just three days before the first day of classes on September 7.

    Soanes emphasized that the project holds profound personal meaning for her. She spent her own formative elementary years at Wotton Waven Primary, as did her brothers and sisters, and both of her parents previously served as educators at the institution. Her work giving back to the campus began in 2021, when she started making personal donations of school supplies on her own. Ready to Rise: Dominica 2026 transforms that small, individual effort into a coordinated, community-wide movement that brings together individual donors, volunteers, local businesses, media outlets, and community partners all aligned to expand educational access for the next generation.

    “Giving back to the school and community that shaped who I am today is both a privilege and a promise I keep,” Soanes shared. “My goal is to invest in the next generation with the same hope and care that was once invested in me. I hope this work inspires others to contribute to their own local communities in the same way.”

    Beyond backpacks, the initiative provides every student with essential learning tools including exercise notebooks, graphite pencils, sketch pads, crayons, colored markers, and rulers. For teaching staff, the donation includes lesson planners, specialty markers, highlighters, sticky notes, desk organization supplies, and materials to reward student achievement. Whole classrooms will also receive new art, craft, and instructional resources, ranging from construction paper and cardstock to tempera paint, craft sticks, decorative pom-poms, and math fraction learning tools.

    In a move that expands support beyond the school walls, Ready to Rise will also stock the school community pantry with non-perishable staple foods: dried beans, rice, pasta, oatmeal, canned tuna, peanut butter, preserved vegetables, breakfast items, and basic cooking condiments. This holistic support addresses basic food security needs that can impact student ability to focus and thrive in the classroom, making the initiative a comprehensive investment in the whole well-being of the Wotton Waven Primary community.

  • Onderwijs kampt met tekort aan lokalen en leerkrachten bij voorbereiding nieuw schooljaar

    Onderwijs kampt met tekort aan lokalen en leerkrachten bij voorbereiding nieuw schooljaar

    As the 2026-2027 academic year approaches, Suriname’s Ministry of Education, Science and Culture is racing against the clock to resolve a growing education crisis that has left thousands of students without guaranteed classroom spots, compounded by systemic shortages of learning spaces and qualified teaching staff. Education Minister Dirk Currie laid out the scale of the challenge and the government’s emergency response plan during an initial thematic session of the National Assembly (DNA) on Friday, with a full policy debate scheduled for Tuesday to allow lawmakers to scrutinize official data and debate solutions to the identified bottlenecks.

    Currie emphasized that enrollment figures remain dynamic as the start of term nears, but current data paints a stark picture of unmet demand. For incoming first-grade students, 4,786 applications had been registered at the time of his presentation, while only 4,444 places were available. Updated population projections from the Central Bureau of Civil Affairs indicate that an additional 4,458 first-grade children will still need placement before the term begins. The gap is equally severe for students transitioning from grade 8 to grade 9: 2,592 students are seeking placement, against just 1,496 available spots, leaving 1,096 learners without allocated places.

    To address this immediate gap, the ministry has implemented pre-registration and a centralized national enrollment tracking system to map available capacity across all regions. By August 30 at the latest, authorities will finalize placement plans for all students who have not yet secured a spot.

    One of the most intractable long-term issues facing the sector is a persistent structural shortage of classroom space. Last academic year, 1,134 students were forced to attend classes on a modified schedule that included Saturday schooling to compensate for overcrowding. Currie stressed that urgent expansion of education capacity is critical to avoid repeating this disruptive arrangement. The worst shortages are concentrated in Paramaribo, Wanica, Saramacca and Brokopondo, while other regions have stable capacity or even spare spots to accommodate extra students. To minimize disruption, the minister has ruled out long-distance school transport for young children, though he noted the option remains on the table for older learners.

    Authorities have identified more than 100 schools in need of infrastructure upgrades, with 61 institutions placed on an immediate priority list. Tendering for renovation work and temporary emergency classroom construction at 31 priority schools will launch before the end of August, Currie confirmed. Additional new classroom construction has already been completed with financial and logistical support from partners including national oil company Staatsolie, Chinese firm Dalian, and the Caribbean Development Bank.

    Alongside the space crisis, a severe national teacher shortage is creating another major barrier to a smooth term start. To speed up hiring, the ministry is changing its recruitment strategy: instead of waiting for graduates to apply for open roles, it will now directly extend job offers to new graduates from teacher training institutes and the country’s Institute for Teacher Training (IOL).

    Currie explained that the shortage stems from more than just low numbers of new graduates: high rates of long-term teacher absence have also left schools chronically understaffed. The ministry is currently exploring whether digital learning tools can help partially offset staffing gaps. Official data shows that graduation numbers from teacher training programs remain very low: just 87 IOL graduates earned lower teaching qualifications this year, alongside 25 with mid-level MO-A certifications and 8 with senior MO-B certifications, and graduation numbers at other pedagogical institutes are similarly small.

    In Suriname’s interior regions, the teacher shortage is made worse by substandard housing for education staff. Many qualified teachers cannot be posted to rural schools because existing staff housing is uninhabitable, and efforts to rent private housing have been hampered by property owners’ reluctance to rent to the ministry, which has a well-documented history of late rental payments. Currie said he will work with local village councils to find collaborative solutions to this housing barrier.

    In a rare moment of self-criticism, Currie acknowledged that his own ministry has failed at timely, clear communication with schools and the public, giving the department a “failing grade” for its performance in this area. Both the accuracy and timeliness of communication need urgent improvement, he said. To fix this, clear, unified guidelines for schools for the new academic year will be published and made publicly accessible by the end of October at the latest. The ministry is also developing a unified protocol for social media and mobile phone use in schools that will apply to all public and private institutions.

    The minister also addressed widespread labor unrest that disrupted the previous academic year, noting that nearly all teacher strikes were tied to late payment of salaries, scale adjustments and bonuses. To resolve this, administrative payroll procedures will be overhauled to ensure teachers receive correct pay on time going forward.

    As part of longer-term education reforms, Currie announced a pilot program that will devolve more autonomy to school leaders at 15 participating institutions. Under the pilot, principals will gain direct control over cleaning services, minor facility maintenance, school security and selected administrative tasks. All participating school leaders will complete targeted leadership training before the pilot launches.

    Currie reaffirmed that the core principle guiding the ministry’s policy remains that no child should be left behind, and education must remain fully accessible to children from low-income households who cannot cover associated costs. Beyond building academic knowledge and skills, the ministry will place greater emphasis on character development and youth mental well-being in the coming term.

    The National Assembly intentionally split the thematic debate into two phases to allow lawmakers adequate time to review Currie’s back-to-school plan and supporting data. After Friday’s initial presentation, MPs will have time to study the materials before returning on Tuesday to submit questions, raise criticism and table policy proposals. Key topics for Tuesday’s debate include funding for the emergency plan, student placement processes, grade 10 programming, infrastructure renovations, curriculum updates and education access.

    Closing Friday’s session, Vice President Gregory Rusland acknowledged that Suriname’s education system has faced years of challenges, and the government’s priority is now restructuring the system to ensure all children receive the education they are legally entitled to. Where urgent catch-up action is needed, the government will take all necessary steps to deliver a smooth start to the 2026-2027 academic year, Rusland confirmed.