TO ALL THOSE who were beginning to doubt the assertions, particularly by the present administration, that Barbados is still a leader in the international community, the disclosure that our educational system has merited a ranking of No. 9 in the Global World Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum is a matter for much deserved praise and self-congratulations.
For all the constructive and sometimes downright destructive criticism that Minister of Education Ronald Jones has received during his tenure, the minister, his immediate staff and advisers in the ministry, as well as the thousands of teachers who work day in, day out, must feel very proud.
This ranking is vindication of their herculean efforts, which have borne the kind of fruit that underlines the reason why our Independence in 1966 was such a paradigm-shifting event.
The competition was of the highest order. Barbados shared the ninth position with both Japan and New Zealand and was beaten only by eight countries best known for their obsessive dedication to the pursuit of the highest degree of excellence in the delivery of education to people. As we begin the climb towards the future, we can be reassured that with community effort we are still capable of punching above our weight.
If we applaud this achievement, it is because it will open the eyes of all Barbadian citizens to the realisation that our educational system has long been regarded by people outside this country as an important invisible export. This is now slowly being realised.
In 1983 the St George’s University Medical School sought to establish temporary facilities here in the aftermath of the troubles of Grenada that led to the invasion or rescue by American forces, but was met by a tsunami of objection which the Mighty Gabby captured in the unforgettable calypso Cadavers.
Offshore medical schools have demonstrated their capacity to make their economic contribution to a host country and the establishment of the American University of Barbados Medical School is already demonstrating what an enlightened approach to fiscal realities, coupled with an acute delivery of business facilitation, can do for the future development of foreign direct investment in this economy.
Both Minister Jones and the minister responsible for business facilitation are to be loudly congratulated on delivering for this country one of the most significant contributors to a future Barbados economy that is focused on services.
In drawing this matter to the front burner, one also has to applaud the path-breaking efforts of Sir Hilary Beckles to locate the Cave Hill Campus at the top level of international regulation.
It is one of the ironies of our political situation that the much-touted Four Seasons project lies fallow on one of our best beachfronts whereas the University of the West Indies’ Halls of Residence, built a short distance away on Highway 1, has been earning valuable foreign exchange for the campus and the country almost from the day it was finished. Those Halls of Residence are a clear example of the creative use of education as an invisible export.
Its erection went hand in hand with the increasing international accreditation of the campus so that it is now not only a centre of educational excellence, but also a major earner of foreign exchange.
This is the sort of progressive and forward-looking thinking that recognises that earning foreign exchange is no longer based simply on sand, sea and international business, but that educational services are now a potent attraction.
