Government remains committed to its 2030 target to give every Barbadian under the age of 18 an opportunity to be bilingual.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley reiterated this commitment on Monday, when Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba, Bruno Rodriguez Parilla, who was on a one-day official visit, paid her a courtesy call, at Ilaro Court.
Ms. Mottley said exposure to a foreign language would help young Barbadians to see the entire hemisphere as the territory where they could work and live.
She stated that Government was willing to receive assistance in the teaching of Spanish.
She stated that Barbados and Cuba had maintained strong relations, pointing out that they faced many common challenges.
The Prime Minister said both countries had worked well in a number of areas, but suggested that a lot more could be done in education and health.
She identified heritage, art, music and work on the blue economy as possible areas of cooperation between both countries. She added that Cuba’s spirit of innovation could help Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean.
Ms. Mottley noted that the CARICOM/Cuba Summit, to be held in December 2020 in Havana, was one of the major engagements with this region.
Mr. Rodriguez described his bilateral talks, held earlier in the day, as “productive”, saying the representatives of both countries had identified new areas of cooperation.
He said Barbados’ education and health care systems were very progressive, and suggested that both countries could continue working together in those areas.
The Foreign Minister also stated that there was a need for trained English professionals in his homeland, and Cuba and Barbados could cooperate in that area.