Executive summary
The Ministry of Education ( MoE ) is implementing the 2017 – 2021 Education Sector Plan ( ESP ) under the theme : Education for All : Embracing Change , Securing the Future . The plan builds on its predecessor , the White Paper on Education Development and Policy 2009 – 2019 , and provides a strategic road-map for the MoE to follow to improve the provision and administration of education over the medium-term plan period . Guided by the MoE vision of providing holistic lifelong education for all , the ESP responds to the developmental priorities outlined in a number of national policy and strategy documents , and demonstrates the Federation ’ s commitment to regional and global education imperatives , communicated , for example , through the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States ( OECS ) 2012 – 2021 sub-regional education sector strategy ( OESS ) and the United Nations ( UN ) Sustainable Development Goal ( SDG ) 4 for 2030 .
Key policy issues 1 Access and participation
Achieving the MoE commitment to improve equitable access to high-quality early childhood development and care requires widening access at this level , especially for ages 0 – 2 ( NER 2 ages 0 – 2 : 40 %, NER ages 3 – 4 : 85 %). Levels of enrolment at primary are acceptable ( NER : 94 %, GPI : 100 ); however , despite a 100 % transition rate from primary to secondary for both genders , retention at secondary level is unsatisfactory . Universal secondary education has been a cornerstone of the education system for decades ; nonetheless , 19 % of secondary school-age children are not enrolled ( NER 81 %), and the dropout rate from Form 4 is 30 % for males and 17 % for females . With respect to higher education , a GER of 20 % and 38 % for males and females , respectively , at the post-secondary level and 47 % and 86 % at the tertiary level indicates a need to improve access to higher and continuing education and to address gender disparities in participation at this level .
In accordance with the 2013 Technical Vocational Education and Training ( TVET ) Policy to mainstream TVET as a vehicle for human and sustainable development , efforts must be strengthened to improve access to TVET competencies and subjects throughout compulsory education , and redress gender imbalances in participation ( e . g . enrolment of males and females in non-traditional skills areas at the post-secondary level is 9 %).
Additionally , the lack of comprehensive data on the participation of special needs students and other vulnerable populations is a gap to be addressed in order to safeguard equity in access and participation for all students . A need for clarity on the influence of automatic promotion and academic streaming practices has also been identified , as the former poses a challenge , where there are inadequate remediation supports in place , and the latter may contribute to the demotivation of students and high dropout rates at secondary level .
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Quality and relevance
Notwithstanding small class sizes ( average primary : 16 , and secondary : 21 ) and a large majority of trained teachers at the compulsory level , student learning outcomes remain inadequate . At the primary level , between 2011 and 2014 , performance on Grade 6 Language Arts and Mathematics Test of Standards averaged 51 % and 61 %, respectively . At the secondary level , the national pass rate on Caribbean Examination Council ( CXC ) Certificate of Secondary Education Competence ( CSEC ) exams is 79 %, which is higher than the regional average of 61 %; however , approximately only 71 % of students sit CSEC exams , leaving 29 % of secondary students without an opportunity to attain this standard of achievement . Given this reality , approximately 50 % of secondary school students achieve accepted literacy standards ( English A ), 35 % attain passes in Mathematics , and only 18 % are successful in at least five CSEC subjects , including Mathematics and English . With respect to key TVET areas , approximately 2 – 6 % of students sit subjects such as Mechanical Engineering , Agriculture , Electrical and Electronic Technology , and Building Technology ( CDB , 2015 ).
Several contributory factors compromise the quality and relevance of education . There is need to increase the number of trained teachers and improve the gender balance in the teaching force . At the early childhood development ( ECD ) level , only 8 % of teachers and 25 % of supervisors are trained . At the public primary and secondary level , 71 % and 54 %, respectively , of teachers are trained and the lion ’ s share of the teaching force is female ( 100 % at ECD , 90 % at primary , and 69 % at secondary level ). Additionally , the 2016 UNESCO Education Policy Review highlighted challenges with :
1 . The ESP responds to key policy issues pinpointed through several sector studies , both internally and externally managed , that were conducted between 2013-and 2016 . Unless otherwise indicated , statistics are from the St . Kitts and Nevis MoE Education Management Information Systems Statistical Digest 2013 – 2014 .
2 . NER = Net enrolment ratio , GER = Gross enrolment ratio .