Crisis in education in Caricom countries requires urgent, massive reforms for turnaround

Dear Editor,
A recent article blared the headline, “Caribbean education in crisis, World Bank warns” (Barbados Today, Feb. 18, 2025).
Caricom, including Guyana, must take note of the findings, and work feverishly to turn the education Titanic around. Massive ongoing reforms are needed. Below are excerpts from the article.
The World Bank report has delivered a damning verdict on the Caribbean’s education system, labelling it as being in a state of crisis and warning of severe consequences if urgent reforms are not implemented. During a webinar on Monday, senior officials from the World Bank laid bare the systemic inadequacies plaguing Caribbean schools, highlighting outdated teaching practices, ill-equipped infrastructure, and widening educational inequities. They stressed the need for significant financial investment and enhanced teacher support to reverse the region’s educational decline.
The World Bank’s Country Director for the Caribbean, Lilia Burunciuc, did not mince words as she described a dire state of affairs. “We are confronting a crisis that is jeopardising the future of the Caribbean, a crisis in education,” she said. “This may sound dramatic, but the impact on education is so critical, and the systems are failing. Indeed, this constitutes a crisis. We must ask ourselves and answer questions about how we can strengthen foundational skills in literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking to improve learning outcomes.”
The World Bank’s scathing assessment pinpointed numerous flaws within the Caribbean’s education system. In a detailed analysis, Victoria Levin, senior economist in the World Bank’s education global practice, cited outdated teaching methods, inadequate infrastructure, and severe disparities in educational access as key contributors to the region’s educational underperformance.
“Teaching practices in the Caribbean are still quite traditional, focusing on rigid curricula that do not meet the needs of 21st century learners,” Levin said. “Teachers lack the necessary support to adapt their instructional methods, incorporate social-emotional skills, or assist students with special educational needs. Additionally, some countries lack professional standards for teacher recruitment and deployment, leaving inexperienced educators struggling in the classroom. Consequently, classroom time is not utilised effectively, hindering students’ knowledge and skill acquisition.”
Levin also raised concerns about the declining quality of educational infrastructure. “Countries are not investing enough in capital expenditures or educational infrastructure. Schools are outdated and ill-equipped to handle the increasing frequency of extreme climate events. Digital infrastructure is equally inadequate, with poor Internet access and unequal access to digital devices limiting students’ opportunities for continued learning and digital skills development.”
The World Bank’s report also criticised the Caribbean’s highly stratified secondary education system, which entrenches social inequalities. Levin highlighted the so-called “two-tier system”, wherein elite schools cater to students from wealthier families while under-resourced institutions serve lower-income communities.
“The elite secondary schools maintain their privileged status through highly selective admissions processes based on standardised entrance exams. This serves as a sorting mechanism with lifelong consequences for students,” Levin said. “Meanwhile, the rest of the secondary school system fails to deliver the necessary competencies, perpetuating social inequality.”
This state of emergency in education requires fresh leadership, fresh ideas, and a sense of urgency, because “failure is not an option” as we ratchet up our development plans. As Martin Carter had said, “All are involved, all are consumed.”
It cannot be the same status quo and business as usual in education. We need leaders of reform to step up!

Sincerely,
Dr Jerry Jailall