Education Minister responds to World Bank ‘education crisis’ comment
A recent session hosted by the World Bank (WB) which presented a very worrying picture of the region’s education system has caught the attention of this country’s Minister of Education, Curtis King, who did not deny the claims put forward by the institution, but noted that efforts are being made to reform the system.
On Monday, February 17, 2025 the WB hosted a virtual seminar on the topic ‘Education Transformation: Addressing the Learning and Skills Crisis in the Caribbean’.
Coming out of that session, WB representatives noted the “crisis” occurring in the region’s schools caused by what was described as outdated teaching practices, inadequate infrastructure, and also inequalities in students’ access to education.
Speaking on Star FM, Minister King admitted that there is “merit in the criticism from the [WB] report”.
“ … while we could identify with many of the flaws that were singled out in the report, it is true, though, that countries have made significant strides in seeking to deal with these flaws. Nevertheless, it is true to say that we still have a lot of work to be done. I’ve always made this point that, in terms of the Caribbean, we are fairly young in terms of our development as independent states,” the minister outlined.
He went on to say that many of the issues plaguing the education system are “not of our own making”.
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