分类： society

Ninety graduating students of Barbados’ West Terrace Primary School stepped across the graduation stage at the Hilton Barbados Resort Tuesday, marking the end of their primary education and the start of a new academic journey as they prepare to enter secondary school. Addressing the ceremony, Minister of Technological and Vocational Training Sandra Husbands, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for St James South, delivered a call for graduates to welcome change amid a rapidly shifting global landscape reshaped by technological advancement.

Husbands explained that Barbados’ ongoing national education transformation initiative is purpose-built to equip young learners with the full range of skills required to thrive in a future defined by technological innovation, constant adaptation, and lifelong learning. “As a government, as a nation, as educators and caregivers, our core responsibility is to prepare you for that vastly different world that awaits,” she told the crowd of graduates, families and educators. “We stand with you, we work alongside you, and we remain fully committed to helping you succeed no matter what challenges come your way.”

Acknowledging that the transition from primary to secondary education brings growing pains for students, Husbands also noted the sweeping changes the education overhaul has demanded from the nation’s teachers. Educators have had to entirely reimagine their instructional approaches, she said, updating how they deliver content, adopting new methodologies for math instruction, and redesigning learning experiences to foster student growth — all while making considerable personal and professional sacrifices to implement these changes.

Moving beyond traditional academic priorities, Husbands emphasized that modern education must center the unique individual strengths every child brings to the classroom. “We recognize that every child is gifted, but not in the same way. Each of you carries your own distinct set of talents to carry into the future: some are born leaders, some are creative innovators, some excel in athletics, some are visionary artists, skilled builders, talented musicians, compassionate caregivers, compelling communicators, sharp problem-solvers, or driven entrepreneurs,” she said.

She reassured graduates that the reformed education system is structured to create pathways to success for every learner, even for talents that have not yet been identified. “Some of your gifts may still be undiscovered, and we are committed to building customized pathways to nurture those abilities too. When we reshape the education system to meet the needs of every child, every child gets the chance to succeed,” she added.

Looking forward to the evolving job market, Husbands noted that employers are increasingly prioritizing practical soft skills alongside traditional academic credentials. “As technology evolves and industries transform, employers are seeking candidates who can think critically, communicate clearly, collaborate effectively, innovate quickly, and adapt to change. Future success will not rely only on what you know — it will depend on how well you can apply that knowledge in real-world contexts,” she explained.

This shift in priorities is why the government is expanding opportunities for students to build practical skills, technical expertise, creative talent, leadership capacity, and entrepreneurial thinking, Husbands said. The end goal is simple: to ensure every student leaves school with meaningful, tangible options for their future.

The minister also called on parents to adapt their own approaches to support their children through the transition to secondary school, noting that the next academic stage requires a new model of parental engagement. The Ministry of Education Transformation will be rolling out accessible parenting education resources to help caregivers navigate this shift, she said, equipping them to support their children’s growing independence. “Teenage learners moving toward independence will ask more questions, challenge existing ideas, seek greater responsibility, and occasionally make mistakes. This new phase requires a broader, more flexible set of parenting skills,” she added.

West Terrace Primary School Principal Charmain Jones opened the ceremony with an overview of the school’s recent achievements, highlighting the institution’s focus on strengthening core literacy and numeracy skills while integrating technology into everyday classroom instruction. “Our core goal was to build strong reading proficiency and deepen mathematical understanding, with a target of outperforming the national average in both subjects,” Jones explained. “We also prioritized embedding educational technology across all subjects to enhance both teaching and learning.”

Jones also shared the school’s strong performance on the national Common Entrance exam, noting that every graduating student had put forward their best effort. The school’s top overall performer was Riley Layne, who scored 88% in English and 99% in mathematics, while Tiago Renwick earned the highest score in English. The vast majority of students posted strong results in both core subjects: most English scores fell between 70 and 80 percent, demonstrating solid reading comprehension and written expression skills. Of the 91 graduating students, more than 81% — or 74 students — earned an A or B grade on their English essay assessment.

Like Husbands, Jones urged parents to maintain intentional engagement as their children enter secondary school, advising them to balance support with space for growth. “Give your children room to develop, but stay connected. Secondary school brings greater independence, so let your child take on new responsibilities while checking in regularly on how they are adjusting,” she said. “Don’t only focus on grades — watch for signs of stress. Secondary school brings emotional as well as academic challenges, so pay attention to changes in mood, sleep or appetite, not just report cards.”

Featured speaker Pastor John Yarde challenged graduates to pursue their ambitions with intentional planning and purpose. Using Disney’s *The Lion King* as the framework for his address, Yarde urged students to hold fast to their core values as they enter the new environment of secondary school, warning that they will encounter a wide range of outside influences that could pull them away from their goals and personal beliefs. “I challenge you to dream big, but also to plan big,” he told the graduates. “Write your dreams down, and share them with the trusted people in your life who can support you.”

Barbados’ annual National Summer Camps initiative is entering a transformative new phase this year, with a major expansion that will see the program hosted at up to 51 locations across the island, welcome roughly 3,500 young participants, and introduce long-requested financial compensation for camp leadership alongside upgraded public safety protocols. Youth and Culture Minister Senator Shane Archer officially launched the 2024 iteration of the program during a Tuesday event held at the Division of Youth Affairs located in Haggatt Hall’s Sky Mall, noting that this year’s redesign was crafted specifically to address feedback and concerns raised by participants and organizers in previous years.

Archer confirmed that the six-week program will get underway on July 13 and wrap up its activities on August 21. A key change responding to years of repeated requests from program staff is the introduction of stipends for camp directors and assistant directors, a policy the minister framed as a long-overdue recognition of the work put in by camp leadership. “We are reintroducing something that has been asked for… the directors and the assistant directors must have some type of stipend,” Archer explained. In addition to leadership stipends, the government has also allocated funding to cover transportation costs for volunteer staff traveling to and from camp locations.

Most camp sites will be based at existing primary and secondary school facilities across the island, but the program has added community centers and local churches as alternate venues to accommodate ongoing renovation work at many public school properties. “We are preparing to operate up to 51 camps across Barbados, and we are expecting around 3,500 campers,” Archer said.

The minister emphasized that the summer camp program is far more than a recreational outlet to keep young people occupied during school break, framing it as a strategic long-term investment in Barbados’ next generation. “This is not simply a programme to occupy young people throughout the summer vacation. We must see this as an investment into our young people,” he said.

Reflecting that investment, the 2024 program features a dramatically expanded curriculum that covers far more than traditional summer activities. Campers will have access to coursework and workshops in financial literacy, emotional regulation, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), sustainable agriculture, national heritage, cultural arts, online safety, public health and wellness, team sports, and foundational life skills. A brand-new Spanish language immersion track has also been added to the program, developed with financial and logistical support from the Colombian, Cuban, and Venezuelan embassies based in Barbados.

Beyond daily camp activities, the 2024 calendar will include inter-camp tournaments for sports and creative projects, a sharp increase in guided national heritage tours, a island-wide cultural arts showcase, a national “Make a Book” creative writing project, and a special celebration of International Youth Day scheduled for August 12.

Safety protocols have also received a major upgrade this year, in response to past concerns. Archer reported that the program has added additional frontline camp personnel, mandated expanded first-aid training for all staff, and contracted private security firms to supplement existing government-provided security at all camp sites. Nutritional access has also been improved: all campers will receive a free daily lunch through the Ministry of Educational Transformation’s school meals program, and additional distribution hubs have been added to eliminate the delivery delays that impacted the program in 2023.

Registration for the 2024 summer camps opened earlier this year, and already roughly 1,800 young people have secured their spots. Program officials have reminded families that registration remains open, but each camp location has a fixed maximum capacity, so parents and guardians are encouraged to complete registration as soon as possible to avoid being waitlisted.

Senior Youth Commissioner Elizabeth Bowen highlighted three specialized camp tracks designed for older adolescents aged 15 to 17, including the YES Camp and Camp Employing Minds. Unlike the general camps open to a wider age range, these specialized programs focus on targeted skills development for youth transitioning out of secondary school. “They are the ones which have some targeted age groups. We offer soft skills development and kind of help them start planning their roadmap, as they transition into early adulthood and start to think about their plans for whether it’s tertiary education or entering into the world of work,” Bowen explained. “So I am pleased this year, extremely pleased with the offerings.”

A senior High Court justice has issued a blistering rebuke of persistent systemic delays in Barbados’ judicial system, sparked by repeated late transportation of inmates from Dodds Prison to court hearings. On Tuesday morning, when Supreme Court No. 5 finally gaveled into session just before 11 a.m., Justice Pamela Beckles publicly called out the escalating problem that has thrown court scheduling into chaos for weeks.

Acting Senior State Counsel Maya Kellman confirmed the entire delay stemmed from the court waiting for the named accused to be transported from the Dodds correctional facility to the Supreme Court complex. In unusually pointed public comments from the bench, Justice Beckles emphasized this issue is not an isolated oversight, but a growing crisis that has disrupted court work across the island’s judicial facilities for an extended period.

She outlined the steady worsening of the delays: what once was a manageable 10-minute wait has stretched to 30 minutes, and on Tuesday, stretched past an hour after court staff and all other parties had arrived by 9:30 a.m. Justice Beckles added that the logjam is not limited to her courtroom, noting that other courtrooms across the judicial complex were also held up, with some having not yet received their scheduled inmates as of 11 a.m.

Calling the ongoing disruption unacceptable, Justice Beckles appealed to the senior authorities responsible for prison transportation and inter-agency coordination to intervene immediately to fix the broken system. She expressed hope that bringing public attention to the crisis will push the relevant decision-makers to implement the changes needed to restore timely court proceedings for all parties.

As Barbados prepares to mark two major national milestones – its 60th year of Independence and fifth anniversary as a republic – the island’s government is sounding the alarm over a fading culture of community service, launching a public appeal to young people and private enterprises to revitalize volunteering through the 2026 National Summer Camps programme.

During the official launch of the initiative at the Division of Youth Affairs’ Sky Mall office in Haggatt Hall on Tuesday, Youth and Culture Minister Senator Shane Archer issued a direct call to action, targeting tertiary students in particular. Drawing on his own experience as a beneficiary of government-funded higher education, Archer stressed that students who have accessed state-supported learning have a unique opportunity to give back to the communities that invested in them.

“I wanted to use the opportunity to really make a call to the students in the tertiary education system. We really need the volunteers to really step forward and to give back,” the minister said, addressing enrollees at all of Barbados’ leading post-secondary institutions, including the Barbados Community College (BCC), the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute (SJPI).

Archer’s appeal comes amid growing concern that voluntarism across Barbados has fallen to an all-time low, eroding the long-held community spirit that has defined Barbadian national identity. The minister framed the revival of service culture as a critical national priority, particularly as the country gathers to celebrate its foundational national milestones. “Voluntarism in this country is at an all-time low, and we really need to work together to go back to the community spirit and the spirit that is really Barbadian,” he added.

Beyond appealing to young prospective volunteers, Archer also extended a call to the island’s private sector to deepen investment in youth development through partnerships with the National Summer Camps programme. He highlighted existing support from major financial institutions including Republic Bank and CIBC, but expressed hope that more businesses would step forward to fill gaps in programme resources. In particular, he noted that the initiative is seeking sponsors to cover essential camp supplies, including branded apparel for participants and volunteer staff.

“I hope that next year we can have a sponsor who will put their name on the shirts. This is also a call to those in the private sector to really invest into what it is that we’re doing,” Archer said. He added that expanded private sector backing would not only strengthen the current programme but also enable it to expand its reach and deliver more enriching experiences for young campers across the island.