As various countries discuss and implement policies to transform the education system in their respective countries, this country’s Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Kay McConney, said Barbados is excited to be on the transformation journey.
Ms. McConney declared that team Barbados was “excited to be on board” and to be having this discussion with fellow Ministers of Education and other stakeholders.
She was delivering remarks today at the Caribbean Examinations Council’s (CXC) 3rd Ministerial Summit, under the theme Reimagining Educational Reform – Towards Transformative Agility, at the Accra Beach Resort and Spa.
The Minister told her audience that Barbados was proposing to transform the current education system to one that was “more fair, inclusive, relevant and modern (FIRM) – an acronym developed out of consultation meetings with stakeholders.
“Like many of you, our aspiration here is to produce global citizens who are rooted in Barbadian values and indeed in Caribbean values and we have done some significant work. When I say we, I mean the Caribbean region, have already done some work in looking at the ideal Caribbean person, the kinds of output that we are seeking, and the outcomes we’re looking for in the systems,” she stated.
The Minister added that part of the conference’s theme, which speaks to transformative agility, indicates “what we would make happen, for the quality of the education system, to enable it to be more effective and efficient in delivering value faster”.
“I think of transformative agility as including what we make happen for the children and with the children that will improve outcomes in their lives. And that’s where we move from transformational to transformative, where there is a people outcome and a true impact on humans. Some of the proposals that Barbados has put out there will speak to both the transformational aspect as it relates to the system and the transformative aspects as it relates to our students as well as our teachers as well as our leaders. We have determined that we must have people outcomes as part of what we do,” Ms. McConney insisted.
Apart from putting children at the centre of the proposed transformation, the Minister maintained that teachers and principals would be adequately prepared to assist the Ministry in the journey.
She shared that discussions were held with teachers and schools’ heads about the plans to upskill, reskill, and fully equip and support them to take the country “on this journey”. Ms. McConney also spoke about the various consultations with stakeholders, where the proposals were formulated and were now being shared during public consultations.
Ms. McConney added that other areas will be included in the proposals, such as artificial intelligence, innovation, gamification, and digital literacy, to ensure that both technology and human-enabled elements work collaboratively.
The Minister stressed that the COVID-19 pandemic had caused learning loss in some areas but expressed optimism that the Caribbean had navigated its recovery. She pointed out that innovation in thinking must also be discussed as “we build our roadmaps and collaborate as a region”.
Also speaking during the opening ceremony were Chairman of CXC, Sir Hilary Beckles; Registrar and CEO of CXC, Dr. Wayne Wesley; and Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Terrance Drew. There were also two panel discussions on education transformation and a musical selection by violinist Tayte Waterman of Harrison College.