Minister of Education, Ronald Jones (File Photo)

Come next year, the educational landscape of Barbados is expected to undergo a major change.

According to Education Minister, Ronald Jones, “the year 2010 will see the first set of students receiving the Barbados Certificate of Secondary Education (BCSE).”

He explained that the certificate would be similar to the American High School Diploma and would add a new dimension to the local education system. “The BCSE will say you have reached a certain level in your education. It will carry the stamp of the Caribbean Examinations Council, which is recognised across the world for its focus on standards and quality,” he outlined.

Stressing that the certificate was “competency based”, Mr. Jones pointed out that the BCSE would include information on non-academic areas. “The profile of the BCSE will be more descriptive…you can look and see that the person has been a community worker, involved in sports or in the cadet corps,” he said.

The Education Minister added that the BCSE should be widely accepted by society. “There are people who are academically inclined, and those who are technically inclined…let us produce citizens who have a multiplicity of interests and let these interests be reflected in the qualifications which they gain through the school system,” he emphasised.

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