2 . Education sector diagnosis
Services , including tourism , are the largest contributor to gross domestic product ( GDP ) at over 80 % ( Figure 3 ) and are a major contributor to national economic diversification efforts . Sectors such as information and communication technology ( ICT ), transportation , construction , and personal services , including Citizenship By Investment , are expected to grow ( GoSKN , 2013c , 2017 ).
According to the most recent labour market survey ( 2009 ), the labour force participation rate is 73 % ( 73.8 % in St . Kitts and 70.8 % in Nevis ) and the unemployment rate is 6.5 % ( 6.0 % in St . Kitts and 8.2 % in Nevis ). Notably , the unemployment rate of the 20 – 24 age group ( 12 %) is almost double the national unemployment rate . This underlines the importance of strengthening the external efficiency of the education system , as prolonged unemployment among this population group could significantly undermine economic and social stability ( Bekkers , 2009 ; UNESCO , 2014 ).
SKN is classified by the UNDP ( 2016 ) as a High Human Development Country ; nevertheless , poverty and social vulnerability remain present on both islands , with an overall poverty rate of 23.7 % in St . Kitts and 15.9 % in Nevis ( CDB , 2009 ). In terms of the geographical dispersion of poverty , poverty is concentrated in St . Georges-East and West ( Basseterre ) ( 30.52 %), St . Johns ( 20.9 %), and St . Mary ’ s ( 17.1 %) in St . Kitts , while the parish of St . John ’ s in Nevis has the highest percentage of persons living in poverty ( 39.3 %). With respect to poverty and gender , more women than men were living in poverty in St . Kitts , while the opposite was true in Nevis . Critically , young persons aged 0 – 14 comprised 40 % of persons living in poverty , with 1 in 3 children in St . Kitts and 1 and 4 in Nevis found in this population group . In addition to youth below the poverty line , there are several other vulnerable demographic groups for which careful investments should be made to promote equity in educational access and learning outcomes . These include : ( i ) low-wage workers without ( sufficient ) educational certification ( 49.9 % of males and 47.3 % of females in the lowest poverty quintile ), ( ii ) disillusioned youth ( especially boys and teenage mothers who run the risk of not completing compulsory schooling , 9 and ( iii ) non-English speaking immigrant groups ( GoSKN , 2012c ).
Culturally , the Federation abounds with indigenous knowledge , traditions , and art forms that have been historically marginalized through formal schooling . This marginalization is a socio-cultural legacy of the colonial education system that was designed to devalue expressions of local culture and African heritage and fashion loyal British subjects ( Pemberton , 2010 ). Across the Caribbean , this lack of cultural pride has been put forward as a factor in negative affective development of youth and perceived social decline in the region . The curriculum , in all its iterations ( intended , implemented , and hidden ), transmits cultural values and , as such , has a significant role to play in fostering cultural empowerment and positive affective development in learners ( Miller et al ., 1991 , 2000 , Pemberton , 2010 ).
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Structure of the education system
Early childhood development ( ECD ) caters for children aged 0 – 5 and is provided through a combination of nurseries ( 0 – 2 years of age ), preschools ( 3 – 5 years of age ), and day cares ( 0 – 5 years of age ). Primary and secondary education are free and compulsory for children aged 5 – 16 , with primary school comprising Kindergarten to Grade 5 , and secondary school comprising Forms 1 to 5 . At the secondary level , 10 students in each form are grouped into ‘ ability streams ’, based on academic performance , and many of the students in the lowest stream of Form 4 have historically left school at the age of 16 before continuing to the final year of secondary school . 11 For learners with a range of special education needs , education and training is provided at the Cotton Thomas Comprehensive School ( CTCS ) in St . Kitts or the Cicele Brown Integrated School ( CBIS ) in Nevis . Higher education consists of formal and non-formal post-secondary TVET as well as national , regional , and off-shore tertiary level institutions . The GoSKN MoE manages education and training through the post-secondary / non-tertiary level in St . Kitts ( ISCED 4 ) and the NIA MoE manages education provision up to the tertiary short cycle ( ISCED 5 ) through the Nevis Sixth Form College .
9 . 14.5 % of births in 2011 were to women aged 19 or younger ( Vassell , 2014 ). 10 . Streaming also occurs in some primary schools with multiple classes per grade .
11 . Although the trajectory of these students has not been tracked , it is safe to say that some of these students are absorbed into formal and non-formal post-secondary technical and vocational training ( TVET ) and / or work placement programmes .