Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has outlined Government’s vision for education transformation to ensure that no child is left behind, with World Bank Regional Vice President, Felipe Jaramillo.
During a recent courtesy call at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Ms. Mottley discussed plans to construct schools of excellence, modern school design concepts to transform dark and dreary plants to ones of vibrancy, and curriculum reform, among other topics.
She underscored the importance of free education for all Barbadians and asserted “we can’t have an island this small and not try to educate people to the maximum of their capabilities”.
The Prime Minister maintained that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation’s children were the biggest losers, as face-to-face classroom instruction was disrupted for three years at the peak of the virus, as children transitioned to online learning.
Regarding education transformation, Ms. Mottley disclosed that Government was partnering with XQ Institute to construct two schools of excellence and also mentioned the implementation of programmes to assist children to recover from the learning losses during the peak of COVID-19.
In response, Vice President Jaramillo stressed: “It would be a pleasure and an honour to assist Barbados in any way with this project and perhaps one of our education experts can meet with XQ officials.”
Ms. Mottley added: “This is my passion project and it has taken a while for us to get here…. Education is an area that you can’t just wake up and decide on something. It, more than anything else, requires patience….”
The two officials also discussed the crime situation in the region, the role education plays in keeping youth focused, and the climate crisis and its impact on vulnerable countries.