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标签： Barbados

巴巴多斯

  • Another setback for Equity Insurance appeal as tribunal delays hearing

    Another setback for Equity Insurance appeal as tribunal delays hearing

    Equity Insurance Company Limited’s latest legal bid to reverse the Financial Services Commission’s (FSC) decision to shut down the firm hit a major procedural hurdle this Monday, when preliminary disagreements pushed back the start of its high-stakes appeal hearing and pushed the final substantive proceeding out to mid-October.

    The case, which was originally scheduled to open before the three-member Financial Services Appeals Tribunal (FSAT), was entirely consumed by pre-hearing procedural disputes that will now be sorted out at a dedicated case management conference slated for July. Following guidance from FSAT chair Justice Christopher Blackman, a retired High Court judge, both legal teams for the insurer and the regulator agreed that the window of October 12 to 16 is the appropriate timeframe to schedule the full substantive hearing.

    Alongside pushing back the main hearing, the tribunal issued three key procedural rulings on Monday. First, it formalized the deferral of the substantive appeal to October. Second, it delayed a separate application by Equity Insurance to amend its official appeal grounds, after the company’s supporting affidavit was found to contain factual inaccuracies. Third, it formally dismissed a “statement of protest and reservation of rights” submitted by the insurer as procedurally inappropriate.

    Explaining the dismissal of the protest statement, Justice Blackman noted that the document included a false claim that the company had been forced to work on separate winding-up proceedings while the appeal was pending. He clarified that a prior High Court order issued by Justice Dr. H. Patrick Wells on April 10 explicitly paused all winding-up actions until the FSAT ruled on the appeal, leaving no valid foundation for the protest.

    Equity Insurance, represented by senior counsels Alrick Scott KC and Larry Smith KC, has pushed back against the tribunal’s rulings. Scott rejected the finding that the amendment application was defective, arguing that the application notice explicitly and thoroughly addressed the specific seventh ground for appeal that the tribunal flagged as missing from the affidavit.

    “We reject the suggestion that the application is defective, because we dealt specifically with the specific ground in our notice of application,” Scott told reporters following Monday’s proceedings. He also defended the insurer’s decision to file the protest statement, noting that it was intended to formally document the company’s objections over the tribunal’s failure to order document disclosure, as well as what the firm calls an unreasonably tight hearing timetable.

    Scott emphasized that the timetable set by the tribunal, which was appointed only in February, was always unrealistic for a complex, high-stakes commercial appeal. He added that a late affidavit filed by the FSC on Sunday, on behalf of restructuring manager Craig Waterman, also contributed to the need to reschedule the full hearing. Waterman was present at Monday’s proceedings in his official capacity as the regulator-appointed restructuring lead for the struggling insurer.

    Senior Counsel Garth Patterson, representing the FSC, backed the tribunal’s dismissal of the protest statement, calling the unusual filing unnecessary. Patterson, who has 40 years of experience in legal practice, said he had never encountered such a document being submitted to an appeals tribunal in his career, and agreed with Justice Blackman that it was redundant to the tribunal’s record.

    Monday’s procedural dispute is the latest chapter in a months-long legal battle between the insurer and the national financial regulator. The conflict dates back to March, when the FSAT rejected the FSC’s request to suspend Equity Insurance’s appeal entirely. At that time, FSC attorney Amanda Best had asked the tribunal to pause the appeal while a separate High Court application to wind up the insurer moved forward.

    That separate High Court application was ultimately dismissed by Justice Dr. H. Patrick Wells in a 77-page ruling. Justice Wells found that the FSC had failed to establish a clear legal basis for immediate winding-up, and warned that forcing liquidation at that stage would undermine the statutory appeal process. He did leave the door open for the FSC to renew its application after the FSAT rules on the current appeal, and noted that the regulator could ask the court for guidance if the appeal process suffers unreasonable delay.

    The entire dispute traces back to August of last year, when the FSC seized regulatory control of Equity Insurance, citing long-standing unresolved breaches of multiple financial sector laws and ongoing risks to the policyholding public.

  • Merrymen co-founder hailed as cultural pioneer after death

    Merrymen co-founder hailed as cultural pioneer after death

    Barbados has lost one of its most influential cultural ambassadors after the passing of Sir Charles Emile Straker, the legendary singer, songwriter and guitarist who took the island’s homegrown music to a global audience. The 90-year-old, who had been in poor health for an extended period, died in the early hours of Friday.

    Straker was the last surviving original founding member of the Merrymen Trio, the group he co-established in 1962 alongside fellow musicians Robin Hunte and Chris Gibbs, which would later become widely known simply as The Merrymen. His death prompted an outpouring of tribute from across the country, including from the political group Friends of Democracy (FOD), which honored his decades-long legacy of shaping Barbadian cultural identity.

    In an official statement released to the public, Ricky Williams, FOD’s spokesperson for sports and culture, celebrated Straker as a towering figure in Caribbean music whose work left an indelible mark on generations of listeners both at home and abroad. Over his decades-long career, Straker wrote and performed dozens of chart-topping hits, the most famous of which is the global fan favorite “Big Bamboo”. Williams confirmed that the track earned unprecedented international acclaim for Barbadian music, holding the number one position on multiple European music charts for 18 straight weeks.

    A defining feature of Straker’s artistry was his instantly recognizable vocal style, and his commitment to centering Bajan culture in the group’s work. A key innovation he brought to The Merrymen’s song catalog was integrating the traditional pennywhistle into their arrangements, reimagining the instrument to fit distinctly Barbadian musical styles. Beyond his crossover hit, Straker crafted many tracks that celebrated local life and Barbadian heritage, including fan favorites such as *Beautiful Barbados*, *Nutseller*, and *Gary Sobers*.

    Williams also highlighted how The Merrymen broke new ground for Caribbean culture on the global stage, booking performances at some of the world’s most iconic and prestigious performance venues. These included New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden, and two of London’s most celebrated cultural spaces: the Royal Festival Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. The group’s trailblazing global tour culminated in a landmark performance as the half-time entertainment at Super Bowl XIII in 1979, one of the most-watched sporting events in the United States at that time. Playing for a live stadium audience of 80,000 people, the band introduced Barbados’ unique indigenous folk music to millions of television viewers tuning in from across the globe.

    “In passing of this giant, we have been left with an irreplaceable vacuum,” Williams said in his statement. “Sir Charles will be deeply missed by all who loved his music and the work he did for our country. On behalf of Friends of Democracy, we extend our deepest condolences to Sir Charles Emile Straker’s family and loved ones at this difficult time. May he rest in peace.”

  • DLP urges students, parents to stay focused after 11-Plus

    DLP urges students, parents to stay focused after 11-Plus

    As thousands of young students across Barbados wrap up the Common Entrance Examination and prepare to transition into secondary education, the island’s opposition Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has released a comprehensive message framing this milestone not as a final destination, but as the opening of a critical new educational journey. Quincy Jones, the DLP’s spokesperson on education, led the party’s outreach, starting with public recognition for the resilience young learners demonstrated throughout the stressful examination preparation and assessment period.

    Jones emphasized that the shift to secondary education marks the beginning of a transformative life chapter, packed with unique growth opportunities and formative new challenges, regardless of whether students earned a spot at their top-choice institution. “Whether you achieved your first choice or not, you should be proud of the hard work, dedication, and perseverance that brought you to this moment,” Jones stated in his address. “This examination is simply one step along the path of your education and personal growth. As you prepare to enter secondary school, a world of new possibilities awaits you. You will experience new schools, new opportunities, new subjects, new teachers, new friends and yes, new obstacles.”

    For incoming first-form students, Jones highlighted that the secondary school experience serves as a foundational platform to unearth hidden talents, refine core life skills, and build the capabilities needed for long-term success. He urged students to seize every opportunity available to them during their secondary education, from rigorous academic coursework to extracurricular engagement. “You will discover talents you never knew you had, develop skills that will shape your future, and build memories that will last a lifetime,” he added. “Secondary education is a chance to challenge yourself academically, participate in sports, culture, clubs, and community service, and develop the confidence that will help you become the leaders of tomorrow.”

    Turning his attention to parents, guardians and school communities across the country, Jones noted that parental responsibility grows significantly as students enter adolescence, crediting families for the sacrifices they have already made to support their children’s learning while stressing that ongoing, daily engagement remains non-negotiable through the secondary years. The DLP holds that consistent, intentional parental involvement is one of the most critical determinants of student success during secondary education, and has laid out a clear structured framework for families to follow. This includes regular participation in Parent-Teacher Association activities, attendance at scheduled parent-teacher conferences, and individual check-ins with form teachers and subject instructors at least twice per academic term.

    Jones also highlighted the importance of attending school orientation and year-level kickoff events, consistent monitoring of student homework completion and attendance, and ongoing reinforcement of positive behaviour, personal discipline and mutual respect at home. Beyond family action, the DLP is calling for deeper, more intentional collaboration between school administrations and household communities across Barbados, proposing a slate of targeted initiatives designed to strengthen the home-classroom partnership.

    These proposals include peer parent mentorship programs that allow adults to share professional expertise and life lessons with students, structured parent learning circles to collaboratively address common educational challenges, and family-focused literacy and reading nights to build a stronger culture of continuous learning in the home. The party also suggested expanding parent volunteer networks to support school sports and arts programming, leveraging modern digital communication platforms to keep parents updated on school activities and student progress in real time, and hosting regular appreciation events to recognize the valuable contributions parents make to school life.

    Closing his address, Jones expressed the DLP’s collective pride in Barbados’ young generation, reiterating that the island’s youth are the core of the nation’s long-term development. He encouraged incoming secondary students to approach this new chapter with confidence, curiosity, and a commitment to excellence. “Embrace this next chapter with confidence, curiosity, and determination,” Jones said. “Believe in yourselves, work hard, treat others with kindness, and never stop striving for excellence. The future of Barbados is sitting in classrooms across this nation today. We are proud of you, we believe in you, and we look forward to witnessing all that you will achieve.”

  • Candidate numbers decline continues as access accommodations reach record high

    Candidate numbers decline continues as access accommodations reach record high

    Barbados’ Ministry of Education Transformation has confirmed a landmark shift in the nation’s primary to secondary school transition system, officially announcing that the traditional Common Entrance Examination will be phased out starting this September, replaced by a two-year continuous assessment framework designed to prioritize holistic student development over a single high-stakes test.

    Minister of Education Transformation Chad Blackman made the announcement official Monday alongside the release of 2026’s final Common Entrance Examination results, framing the policy change as the cornerstone of a multi-year national education overhaul focused on advancing equity, fairness, and a purpose-driven national curriculum. The change is timed to coincide with two major national milestones: the 60th anniversary of Barbados’ independence and the fifth anniversary of its transition to a republic, making the 2026 academic year a symbolic turning point for the country’s education system.

    Blackman acknowledged the deep historical roots of the Common Entrance Examination in Barbados’ education landscape, but argued that the one-day, high-stakes model no longer serves the nation’s students. “I understand the historical significance that a Common Entrance [Exam] has played in Barbados, and this is no different today,” he said. “But it must not determine how people are viewed; it must not determine a person’s self-worth. It must determine, however, your ability to move forward and to help build and shape this nation.”

    Under the new continuous assessment model, student progress will be tracked over two full years of primary school, measuring both core academic performance and a range of non-traditional soft and practical skills that the old exam failed to capture. The core goal of the restructuring is to shift the primary to secondary transition focus from a single day’s performance to long-term holistic student growth. All secondary school principals and senior leadership teams have been ordered to fully restructure their incoming student entry and orientation programs to align with the new framework, with Blackman calling on education leaders to reimagine what a supportive, student-centered transition looks like.

    “Every child going into secondary school from September must feel that I am going to a school that understands my purpose, understands where I want to go in life,” Blackman said, adding that the changes will also standardize education quality across all Barbadian secondary schools, mandating a consistent high baseline for school morale, learning environment, and teaching capacity regardless of a school’s historical reputation or prestige.

    Alongside the policy announcement, the ministry released full statistical data for the 2026 Common Entrance Examination, the last cohort to sit the traditional test. Administered on May 5 across 21 public secondary schools, the 2026 exam drew 2,764 registered candidates from 67 public primary schools, 28 private primary schools, and seven homeschooled students. The data confirms a continuing trend of declining student enrollment across Barbados: this year’s candidate total is 60 students lower than 2025, and a 6.1 percent drop (169 fewer candidates) from 2024’s total of 2,933.

    Despite falling overall candidate numbers, the ministry reported a record high in accessibility accommodations for students with learning and physical needs, marking a steady upward trend in inclusive access provisions. A total of 240 special accommodation requests were approved this year, up from 194 in 2025 and 183 in 2024. Accommodations include large-print test booklets, assigned scribes, and dedicated readers to support eligible students. The ministry also approved 15 early sitting candidates – 11 male and four female – students under the age of 11 who hold a minimum 85 percent average in both mathematics and language arts across Classes Two and Three, as required by the Education Act. Blackman framed the expanded accommodations and early sitting approvals as “inclusion in practice.”

    To support the phased rollout of the new continuous assessment model, the ministry has already rolled out a series of infrastructure, technology, and training upgrades across the nation’s primary schools. All students in Infants B and Class One have been issued dedicated learning tablets, while teachers have received targeted training and additional device allocations to integrate digital learning tools into daily instruction. A nationwide school refurbishment drive led to the temporary closure of 13 primary schools on June 12 to complete structural extensions and facility upgrades, which Blackman defended as a necessary short-term disruption to build the infrastructure required for modern, student-centered learning.

    “As we move forward, we must ensure that we have the ability not just to have training for our teachers, but the infrastructure is the place of course that serves to allow our children, our teachers, our principals to be in an environment where they can thrive,” he explained.

    The resource upgrades are paired with new external quality assurance measures, launched after a successful pilot in May 2025. Panels of education officers, principals, and specialist trainers now conduct structured, formal school visits to set and enforce consistent national benchmarks for classroom instruction and institutional leadership. To support families navigating the education system changes, the ministry also launched a national parent education program on May 4, offering workshops on positive parenting, caregiver-student communication, and behavioral management strategies.

    Closing his address, Blackman congratulated the 2026 candidate cohort and sought to reassure parents and educators that the ministry remains fully committed to building a modern, inclusive education system that recognizes the full spectrum of student achievement. “The ministry is preparing to usher in a system which better recognises and facilitates the achievements and progress of all of our students,” he said. “I offer congratulations to all students who sat the examination this year, and this is, of course, only another leg in your life’s journey. You will have many other opportunities to achieve on this road of success.”

  • St Gabriel’s claims top boy, girl in Common Entrance

    St Gabriel’s claims top boy, girl in Common Entrance

    Barbados’ private St Gabriel’s School has made history this examination cycle, becoming the first institution in the island’s education system to claim both the top male and top female positions in the annual Common Entrance Examination. This unprecedented double triumph has cemented the school’s long-standing reputation for academic excellence, while opening new conversations around ongoing national education reform efforts.

    Benjamin Enzo Luciene earned the title of the nation’s highest-scoring male candidate, and Xiomara Alexis Lascaris secured the top position for female students. In a further milestone for the two high achievers, both have already been accepted to study at Harrison College, one of the country’s most prestigious secondary institutions, where they will begin their post-primary education this coming September. At the time of the official results announcement, no public data was released on how government-funded public schools performed in terms of overall placement rates or distribution of top scores across institutions.

    Chad Blackman, Barbados’ Minister of Education Transformation, officially announced the results and extended warm congratulations to all participating students across the country, highlighting the extraordinary achievement of Luciene and Lascaris in particular. Blackman reaffirmed the government’s unwavering commitment to advancing comprehensive systemic reform in the national education sector, while framing the current results within the context of a planned long-term shift away from the high-stakes standardized testing model that the Common Entrance Examination represents.

    Blackman acknowledged that the examination has occupied a central role in the island’s education culture and national identity for decades. “This examination throughout the years has been an important part of our national psyche in terms of education,” he said. “That’s why I’m so excited about the future of that transition: it is going to be one that is based on equity and is one that is based on ensuring that we tap into the broad skill sets that our children have, and therefore not focused on a one-shot exam.”

    Celebrations erupted across the St Gabriel’s campus immediately after the results were made public, with jubilant cheers from students, faculty and parents echoing through school corridors. St Gabriel’s Principal Alexina Chandler shared in an interview that the school placed a total of four students in the national top 10, an achievement she called deeply rewarding for the entire school community.

    “We are so proud of them, over the moon,” Chandler said. “I mean, it’s not a total surprise because they’ve all worked very hard, but we’re very pleased, very pleased. We’ve had top students before, but not both. I’m not sure how many schools have had both, so that would be interesting to look into. I know they’ve worked extremely hard, and they’re focused children, lovely children. We also have two others in the top ten as well. I’m very proud of all of them.”

    Chandler explained that the school’s consistent strong performance stems from a deliberate approach to building academic and personal foundations starting in early childhood education, rather than cramming focused preparation only in a student’s final primary year. She noted that the modern teaching frameworks the Ministry of Education Transformation currently promotes nationwide have already been core to St Gabriel’s curriculum for decades.

    “The students work very hard, obviously the teachers as well, but it doesn’t just start in Class 4. It starts in the foundation years from nursery and reception onwards. We build that foundation. The ministry is talking about play-based learning; we already have that in place for many, many years, and then the children build on that,” she explained. “Even in Class 4, they continue with the other subject areas, so we will have well-rounded, confident students. So a lot of hard work from the students, the teachers, and the parents, their support as well.”

    Addressing the ministry’s push for systemic education reform that prioritizes holistic development over rote testing, Chandler added that St Gabriel’s has long balanced targeted exam preparation with investment in soft skills and well-rounded growth. For example, the school introduces test-taking strategies, time management and problem-solving skills as early as Class 3, helping students build confidence without sacrificing broader learning. Project-based learning, another reform priority, is already a core component of the school’s infant department, with plans to expand the model further to align with the ministry’s new guidelines.

    “It’s not just about mathematics and English for us; it is well-rounded students who, you know, [have] those soft skills … as well, project-based. We already have that going in our infant department. It’s now to extend more to the juniors in terms of what the ministry is looking at,” she said.

    As Luciene and Lascaris prepare for their move to Harrison College, Chandler expressed full confidence that the foundational, holistic education they received at St Gabriel’s will support them through the next stage of their academic journeys. She emphasized that the historic double win is not a one-off anomaly, but a reflection of the school’s long-held institutional culture and educational philosophy.

    “It sums up what we try to do at St Gabriel’s in a lovely way. It is not a surprise, as I said, everyone worked really hard and was focused. And so this is not an anomaly. This is not by accident. This is part of what we do at St Gabriel’s,” Chandler noted.

    Founded in 1947 at the request of the then Anglican Bishop of Barbados, William James Hughes, St Gabriel’s originally opened with just 28 students between the ages of four and eight, and was initially run primarily by teaching sisters from the Convent of Jesus the Good Shepherd based in England. The school later expanded to offer primary through O-level secondary education, before closing its secondary section in 1975 to consolidate as an Anglican denominational primary school under the Diocese of Barbados. Today, it operates with a Christian foundational ethos while serving a multi-faith student body.

  • Chapman Lane man remanded on firearm charge

    Chapman Lane man remanded on firearm charge

    A 26-year-old local general laborer is now in custody at Dodds Prison after a court appearance on a firearms charge directly connected to a shooting that rattled the Chapman Lane neighborhood earlier this June. Mahindra Alexander Thomas, a resident of Emmerton Lane in the Chapman Lane district of St Michael, faced proceedings before Acting Chief Magistrate Douglas Frederick at the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court.

    The accusation against Thomas outlines that he discharged a firearm while committing the serious indictable offense of affray during the June 3 incident. Court procedure dictated that no formal plea was entered for the indictable charge, as the case advances through the legal system. Represented by his retained defense attorney Simon Clarke, Thomas was ordered to be remanded into custody ahead of his next scheduled hearing. He will next appear before the District ‘A’ Traffic Court for a procedural update on July 20.

  • Disaster response gaps ‘could deepen harm to vulnerable youth’

    Disaster response gaps ‘could deepen harm to vulnerable youth’

    As Caribbean nations work to strengthen their support systems for at-risk young people, Barbados’ Minister of Home Affairs Gregory Nicholls has issued a stark warning: uncoordinated disaster response frameworks will exacerbate harm for vulnerable youth already navigating complex trauma and systemic disadvantage. His remarks came during the opening ceremony of a two-day regional workshop hosted by the Caribbean Association of Probation and Parole (CAPP) and the Barbados Probation Service, held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. Titled “Rooted in Resilience, United in Strength: Trauma-Informed Practice and Crisis Preparedness for Juvenile Justice Practitioners”, the event is backed by funding from UNICEF and brings together cross-sector professionals from across the region.

    Nicholls emphasized that many young people engaged with juvenile justice and social services carry long-standing burdens of childhood abuse, interpersonal violence, grief, and systemic instability — challenges that make them far more susceptible to harm when public emergencies strike. “For this population, a disaster is never an isolated, one-off event,” Nicholls explained. “It is an escalation of existing hardship, one that rips open unhealed wounds and can erase months or even years of fragile progress if service systems are not prepared to respond in a coordinated, compassionate way.”

    This reality, he argued, places a non-negotiable responsibility on all relevant institutions to build trauma-informed preparedness, align response protocols, and deliver intentional, consistent care. By convening stakeholders from emergency management departments, probation services, law enforcement, judicial bodies, education systems, social welfare agencies, and health care providers, the workshop signals a growing recognition that fragmented, siloed approaches cannot keep vulnerable young people safe. “Fragmented responses fail. Only interconnected, coordinated systems can deliver the protection these youth need,” Nicholls told attendees.

    He pointed to the growing partnership between the Barbados Probation Service and the Department of Emergency Management as a model for the cultural shift the region needs. This collaboration marks a break from the isolated, department-specific planning that has long dominated crisis response, moving instead toward a model of shared accountability. “This shift away from silos is not an optional reform,” Nicholls stressed. “It is an essential change to protect the young people who depend on our systems.”

    Over the course of the workshop, participants will focus on two pressing, underaddressed issues: suicide prevention for at-risk youth and critical incident stress management for frontline practitioners. Nicholls highlighted that both youth and the professionals who support them face growing strain from these challenges, noting that institutional investment in practitioner well-being is inseparable from efforts to build youth resilience. “We cannot talk about building resilience for the young people in our care if we ignore the well-being of the people who show up every day to support them,” he said. “If we fail to support our frontline practitioners, we weaken the entire system that protects vulnerable youth.”

    For Nicholls, the workshop is far more than a routine training exercise: it is a targeted effort to build regional capacity, save lives, and embed resilience in the communities and systems that need it most. “This work is about making sure that when the next crisis hits — and it will hit — we do not fumble through a reactive response. We show up with clarity, compassion, and the competence to protect those who need us most,” he said.

    Chief Probation Officer Dr. Angela Dixon echoed Nicholls’ concerns, explaining that natural disasters and public emergencies inevitably compound the existing vulnerabilities of young people engaged with juvenile justice systems. Too often, she added, the professionals responsible for supporting these young people are expected to navigate crises without adequate training, preparation, or institutional support. This regional workshop is the first of two planned sessions designed to close that critical support gap.

    Dixon emphasized that the insights and professional connections forged at the event are intended to spread beyond Barbados, taking root in other Caribbean territories to build a truly regional response capacity. “We are incredibly grateful to UNICEF for their partnership and funding that has made this important work possible,” she said.

  • St Gabriel’s tops exam as teachers urge stronger reading habits

    St Gabriel’s tops exam as teachers urge stronger reading habits

    The 2025 Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination has delivered a mix of celebration and urgent concern for the island nation’s primary education system, after one standout campus claimed the country’s top performing boy and girl, while educators sound the alarm over plummeting national English proficiency scores.

    St Gabriel’s Primary School emerged as the clear standout of this year’s exam results, securing the top two overall scores for male and female candidates, and placing four of its students in the national top 10 rankings. But even as the school community celebrates this historic achievement, local educators are using the moment to draw attention to a growing systemic challenge: a sharp, nationwide drop in English performance that they warn threatens foundational learning across all subject areas.

    Official data shows the national average English score fell more than eight points this year, dropping from a mean of 72.5 in 2024 to 64.2 in the 2025 exam cycle. This decline has prompted educators across the country to call for urgent, system-wide action to rebuild student reading habits, which they identify as the core root of the poor English outcomes.

    Annabelle Thornton, a Class 4 teacher at St Gabriel’s who instructed this year’s top female performer Xiomara Alexis Lascaris, told reporters she is immensely proud of her students’ successes, and credits the school’s holistic, balanced approach to education for its top results. Unlike many institutions that narrow their focus exclusively to high-stakes exam core subjects, Thornton explained St Gabriel’s prioritizes a broad curriculum that nurtures well-rounded learners.

    “I feel extremely proud of Xiomara and every one of our students who sat this exam,” Thornton said. “They put in tireless work for months, and these results are a testament to that effort.” She added that the school does not funnel all its resources into mathematics and English test preparation alone, instead ensuring students get regular exposure to science, Spanish, religious education, drama and music to build diverse skills.

    At the same time, Thornton emphasized that even at high-performing St Gabriel’s, reading remains a non-negotiable foundational priority that the school prioritizes every day. “Reading is the base of all learning, full stop. It doesn’t matter what subject you’re teaching — if a student can’t read fluently and with comprehension, they can’t succeed,” she explained. “That’s why I believe every primary school across the country needs to make expanding reading opportunities a top priority right now, given these falling English scores.”

    To build reading proficiency, Thornton said St Gabriel’s integrates a wide range of reading materials into daily lessons, from traditional comprehension exercises to newspaper articles, general interest magazines and sports publications that meet students’ individual interests. “We push reading more than many other skill areas because it is the foundation that everything else builds on. There’s no way around it,” she said.

    Beyond a broad curriculum and strong reading focus, Thornton added St Gabriel’s longstanding commitment to project-based learning and extracurricular engagement has helped its students grow into confident, articulate, well-prepared learners. “We’ve always structured our program around termly projects, which get students applying their skills to real topics rather than just memorizing for tests,” she said. “We’re a balanced school that cares about more than just test scores, and that shows in how our students perform and present themselves.”

    Kirsty Lashley, another St Gabriel’s educator who worked with this year’s cohort of top performers, echoed Thornton’s praise for her students’ hard work, while noting that the school community remains focused on students still waiting for their results. “I’m absolutely delighted for the students who have already seen their hard work pay off with these strong scores, but we’re also thinking of those who haven’t received their results yet,” Lashley said. “Every single one of these students worked incredibly hard over the past year, and they all deserve recognition for that effort. When it comes to our school’s success this cycle, I think we’ve just been truly blessed.”

    As the country processes the 2025 entrance exam results, the call for expanded reading investment in primary education is expected to move to the forefront of education policy discussions on the island, as educators work to reverse the ongoing decline in English performance.

  • St Gabriel’s Primary students take top honours in Common Entrance

    St Gabriel’s Primary students take top honours in Common Entrance

    One of Barbados’ most celebrated private primary institutions, St Gabriel’s Primary School, has turned in a standout performance in the 2024 Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination, securing both the top male and top female scores island-wide while placing four students in the overall top 10 rankings. The landmark result ranks among the school’s strongest academic showings in modern history, sparking widespread celebration across the campus after official results were unveiled by Minister of Education Transformation Chad Blackman.

    For 11-year-old Benjamin Luciene, the newly crowned top-performing boy, the achievement is the product of years of steady support from his school, family, and friends. In an interview following the results announcement, Luciene spoke through a wide smile about his overwhelming pride and gratitude for everyone who walked the journey with him. “I’m just so happy and proud to have achieved this result – I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” he said. “I had consistent support from my family, my teachers, and my friends every step of the way. On exam day, I just focused on giving it my all, and I’m completely satisfied with how everything turned out.”

    Like many test-takers, Luciene acknowledged pre-exam jitters played a role in the lead-up to test day. “To be honest, I just wanted to get it over with,” he admitted. “When the day finally came, all I focused on was doing my best and staying calm no matter what happened.” His father, Maxime Luciene, credited the family’s low-pressure, balanced approach to childhood and academics for his son’s success, alongside the high-quality instruction St Gabriel’s provided. “We are over the moon with this result, and we have to thank God and the entire team at St Gabriel’s for everything they’ve done,” he said. “At home, our main goal was to create an environment where Benjamin could thrive naturally. We know academics matter a lot, but for us, it was just as important to make sure he got to be a kid first. We prioritized giving him a healthy home, nutritious food, spiritual guidance, and all the tools he needed to succeed on his own terms.”

    Claiming the title of top-performing girl was Xiomara Alexis Lascaris, who said months of consistent revision and intentional preparation paid off far beyond her expectations. Lascaris, who has long set her sights on attending Harrison College, shared that she already got a preview of her next academic home and is eager to start the new chapter. “I feel so accomplished right now – I know I put in the work, and it feels good to see that effort rewarded,” she said. “I’m so thankful to every single person who supported me to get here. I went on a campus tour of Harrison College recently, and it was just beautiful. I got to see the classrooms and learn all about the different opportunities I’ll have there, and I can’t wait for my time there.” Her mother, Witney Lascaris, praised her daughter’s relentless work ethic and willingness to make short-term sacrifices to reach her goal. “I couldn’t be more proud of Xiomara. She worked so hard for this, and there were definitely things she put on hold to focus on her prep. She’s such a hard worker, and she takes her studies incredibly seriously.” Lascaris also shared that her daughter’s long-term ambitions have evolved over the years, ranging from exploring space as an astronaut to flying commercial aircraft as a pilot.

    Two more St Gabriel’s students, Shiloh Noelle Brewster and Adelaide Mae Sikkens, also claimed spots in the island’s top 10 overall rankings, cementing the school’s dominant performance. For Brewster, who earned a spot at her first-choice school Queen’s College, the reward for her hard work is simple: getting back to the hobbies she put on pause during exam prep. “I’m really proud of myself, and I’m so happy to have my free time back now that it’s over,” she said with a laugh. To make space for studying, Brewster cut back on screen time and spent hundreds of hours working through practice exam papers, and her prize for hitting her goal is a simple one: her favorite doughnuts. Her father, Leon Brewster, said her result is a direct reflection of her innate discipline and quiet confidence, while her mother Denise Brewster noted that the entire family adjusted their routines to support Shiloh throughout her preparation.

    For Sikkens, the fourth top-10 performer from the school, the achievement came with characteristic modesty. When asked about her result, she simply smiled and said, “I feel happy.” Her mother Dana shared that the family followed a simple, low-stress strategy to keep her grounded ahead of the exam: “We just focused on keeping her calm and sticking to our normal routine. We didn’t want to add extra pressure, and it worked out perfectly.”

    Education observers across Barbados have noted that St Gabriel’s performance this year highlights the consistent quality of education the private institution delivers, and the balanced approaches taken by all four top-performing students’ families are already being cited as examples for future test-takers across the island.

  • FTC urges students to put consumer rights at centre of business

    FTC urges students to put consumer rights at centre of business

    As part of Parkinson Memorial School’s annual Business Week celebrations, the Barbados Fair Trading Commission (FTC) recently hosted an interactive, week-long consumer rights workshop aimed at equipping young business students with practical real-world knowledge and exam preparation for their 2027 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) assessments. Centered on the theme “All About Business”, the program prioritized demystifying core consumer protection concepts, outlining official redress pathways for dissatisfied customers, and emphasizing the critical role of consumer rights in building sustainable, successful business ventures.

    Brian Parris, head of the business studies department at Parkinson Memorial School, opened the workshop by framing consumer rights as a foundational business principle, rather than an afterthought. He highlighted that consumers are the most critical stakeholders for any business, a reality many enterprises overlook when prioritizing short-term profit over long-term customer relationships. “What we are having today is a consumer rights workshop, and as we know, the customer is our major stakeholder in business,” Parris explained. Drawing a parallel between workplace protections for employees and consumer protections for customers, he noted that just as workers have established channels to address workplace grievances, consumers also have formal avenues to seek resolution when they receive faulty products or substandard services.

    Parris went on to clarify the FTC’s core mandate as the national body tasked with safeguarding consumer interests across Barbados. He emphasized that prioritizing consumer rights is not just a legal requirement—it is a strategic advantage for businesses. “You’ll find that businesses can enhance their relationships with customers if they understand the consumer rights that they have to protect and preserve,” he said. Beyond building practical business acumen, Parris shared his hope that the workshop would spark greater enthusiasm among students for business studies, encouraging them to pursue higher standards of academic and professional excellence. “I’m hoping that [today] not only just broadens their eyes to these business concepts but gets them more interested and enthused to take the bar a little higher,” he added.

    Dava Leslie Ward, Director of Consumer Protection at the FTC, followed with an actionable presentation outlining the commission’s ongoing work to advocate for Barbadian consumers and resolve a wide spectrum of consumer complaints. She explained that the FTC addresses every consumer concern through tailored, strategic approaches, drawing from recent advocacy work to illustrate the tangible impact of consumer protection regulation. One prominent example she highlighted is the FTC’s successful push for mandatory data usage alerts for mobile phone customers, a policy change that protects consumers from unexpected, excessive overage charges. “How many times have you gone over your data? Did you get a warning before you went over your data? At the commission, that’s one of the things we fought for from a consumer protection perspective and as well from a utility regulation perspective,” Ward said. She closed by reaffirming the FTC’s commitment to standing as a dedicated advocate for all Barbadians seeking fair treatment from businesses and service providers, noting that the commission regularly collaborates directly with providers to resolve disputes and deliver fair outcomes for consumers.