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As
a former British Colony, St. Kitts and Nevis has inherited its education system
from Britain. As a result the delivery of education in St. Kitts and Nevis
was under the terms and conditions of Britain. The colonies, therefore,
had to follow a meaningless seasons of winter, spring, summer and autumn formed
a predominant part of the school curriculum. Those of us who are old
enough, no doubt can remember the emphasis placed on the three ‘R’s of
‘Reading, Riting and Rithmetic’ in school. We had to learn and adapt the
British way of life. The
history of our modern education system began in 1967. This was when the
late Hon. Fitzroy Bryant, a youthful and highly intelligent Minister of
Education introduced the Comprehensive System of Education. This new
development brought with it a range of concepts that stakeholders in
Education appeared willing to adapt. Today, education in St. Kitts and Nevis
is universal, compulsory from age 5 - 16, and co-educational. The merits
and demerits of these characteristics have been debated again and again, both
in the halls of academia and in the public domain, with no unanimous consensus
thereon. Pre-schools cater for children who are
three years old. After two years, they graduate to the primary level.
Pre-school education is only one of three levels of childcare service offered
in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. Each service is carried out in
a different type of facility/centre specifically designed for that purpose. The Primary tier of the education
system caters largely to students aged 5-12. A system of ‘automatic
promotion’ sees students moving irrespective of ability from primary to
secondary school upon attaining the age of twelve. Students normally begin their secondary
level of education at age twelve, and depart at age sixteen, though it is not
unusual to find students completing their secondary education at age seventeen,
sometimes at age eighteen (the age of majority in Federation of St. Kitts and
Nevis). Some students exit school at the Fourth Form level or before. There are several
alternatives. Some are accommodated at Project Strong where a strong skill
based curriculum is implemented for students having difficulty in the
structured school setting. Others enter directly into the ‘world of work’ or
sharpen their employment skills for the world of work at a post-secondary
institution. They may enroll in a programme at an Advanced Vocational
Centre (AVEC) or the National Skills Training Programme (NSTP). As
of September 2000, students of the CFBC in St. Kitts and Sixth Form in Nevis
pursued the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE), a newly-introduced
package of tertiary level educational instruction designed to replace the
traditional English-based General Certificate of Education Advanced Level
programme, (i.e. the G.C.E A’level programme). Major
Education Developments - Introducing of a school Transport System, which provides a fleet
of buses to take children to and from school at no cost to parents or
guardians. - Establishment of a Teacher Resource Centre (TRC), which acts as an
extension of CDU. It provides additional information and resources for
teachers. - Computerization of primary and secondary schools. - Setting up of a Student Education Learning Fund (SELF)
Project. This supplies free textbooks and pays examination fees for
children on the basis of the Low Socio-economic Status of their parents. - Establishment of a Special Education Unit to assist special needs
children with their education and raining. - Establishment of a Dental Programme designed to enable individual
schools to visit Government Dentists for extractions or filling of defective
teeth of their children. - Facilitating assistance from UWI (University of the West Indies a regional
university), which provides teacher training at the under and post-graduate
levels. - Institution of a Planning Division with responsibility for curriculum development and planning in all programme areas within the Ministry of Education. Address: Ministry of Education Church Street Basseterre Tele: 869 467 1105 Fax: 869 466 8974 E- Mail:
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