On Sunday last, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart made a significant announcement at a joint political meeting of the St Andrew and St Joseph branches of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP).
He indicated that sixth form education would be further expanded and for the first time it will be at two “newer” secondary schools.
It was in 1962 that the DLP expanded free secondary education in a manner which has come to symbolize that political party as one which has put a premium on education. It is a position which has resonated with Barbadians.
This expansion led to a growing demand for education at a higher level and even though the said DLP had established the Barbados Community College and expanded the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic, the demand for places at the post-fifth form level has always outstripped the supply of places.
Even the addition of sixth forms at The St Michael School and Foundation has not met the demands.
We welcome the opportunity to expand educational opportunities since it is the best way to develop both our people and the country. We are facing intense competition from across the world and only a highly qualified and skilled workforce will be able to compete far less succeed.
We also recognized that education is not cheap, and as a country struggling to ensure that access to education remains generally free, we need to look at value for money and relevance. Hence, it is important that the promise of expanded sixth forms does not mean simply follow the traditional A Level or CAPE programmes.
It is important to outline a rationale for our entire sixth form education which should now go beyond further qualifications such as A Levels. We need to have specialist sixth form education led by motivated, highly qualified and experienced teaching and examining staff.
Our students must have an option to pursue vocational courses not only through CAPE but those offered by City & Guilds. We are not suggesting that Barbados Scholarships are not critical, but the pursuit of excellence must include other measures.
Therefore, the curriculum in an expanded sixth form environment must reflect a range of courses designed to take the students forward whether it be into university, employment or further training.
Let us look at some of the new areas; sports science, creative industries and new media, beauty, health and social care, business and ICT, and construction and building.
Fifty years after what can be best described as the desire to uplift our nation through free secondary education, let us ensure that as we move to get more of our students pursuing higher education and training, we offer not just more sixth forms. We need a winning formula which is focused on the students’ aspirations and the country’s needs.
