Education for All : Embracing Change , Securing the Future
Critically , enrolment in general tertiary-level education is also low , with approximately 1,011 persons enrolled across the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College ( 115 males , 384 females ), the University of the West Indies Open Campus ( 90 males , 287 females ), and Nevis Sixth Form College ( 46 males , 89 females ). 20 In general , there are more females than males enrolled at the tertiary level . With respect to participation at this level by island , it should be noted that enrolment at the Nevis Sixth Form College is hindered by narrow course offerings and physical space constraints , as it is housed on the crowded campus of the Charlestown Secondary School .
Box 2 : TVET constraints
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❚ TVET suffers from low status and the misperception that the courses are for less able students . ❚ Poor articulation of programmes ( formal and non-formal ) constrains the ability to easily navigate
TVET opportunities and progress to higher levels of training .
❚ There are weak links between the needs of the labour market and TVET offerings , partly because of the lack of adequate labour market information and inadequate private sector involvement in TVET management . ❚ No formal post-secondary TVET opportunities are offered in Nevis . ❚ There is limited TVET offering in high-skill areas and at management or advanced levels . ❚ Demand for National Skills Training Programme ( NSTP ) courses has declined due to increased enrolment in the People Employment Programme , which provides on-the-job training and pays a salary . ❚ The value and portability of existing certification is limited . ❚ The mechanism for recognizing and assessing prior learning is not in place .
Source : GoSKN , 2013b , 2014a ; UNESCO , 2014 ; and World Bank , 2015a , 2015b cited in GoSKN , 2016 .
Equity in access and participation
To support the access and participation of children from low-income households , the GoSKN and the NIA have implemented social assistance programmes to defray the costs of school meals , textbooks , examinations , and uniforms , where applicable . 21 However , as captured in the 2012 – 2017 National Social Protection Strategy , better collaboration between the Ministries of Education and Ministries of Social Development on both islands is needed to improve targeting and reduce inefficiency in service delivery , as there are errors of inclusion and exclusion in existing service provision .
Differences between males and females in participation have been noted at the secondary level and beyond . These will need to be addressed if SKN is to meet Target 4.5 for SDG 4 , which aims to eliminate gender disparities in participation by 2030 . Additionally , meaningful participation may be constrained for English language learners , taking into consideration the growing number of persons immigrating from the Dominican Republic in the Federation , for many of whom English is not a first language . This is an area for further investigation . Lastly , the extent to which persons with physical disabilities can access and participate in mainstream schools is limited , as most education and training institutions are not handicapped accessible .
2.3 . Quality and relevance
This section presents information on the quality and relevance of early childhood to tertiary education in the Federation , and contemplates not only outputs from the system ( i . e . student performance ), but also inputs and teaching and learning conditions that contribute to the quality of the system ’ s output . The section also takes a cursory look at the external efficiency of the system , and presents issues of equity , as applicable .
20 . Enrolment for 2013-2014 used for the CFBC , but excludes Adult and Continuing Education and DVETMS , as enrolment for these programmes is captured under post-secondary and tertiary level TVET .
21 . School Meals are free in St . Kitts , but not Nevis .