Development Of New Primary School Curriculum Underway

The Department of Education, Innovation and Vocational Training in collaboration with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Programme for Educational Advancement and Relevant Learning (OECS PEARL) announces the launch of consultations for the development of a new primary school curriculum, to be conducted virtually from June 7th to Friday 17th June, 2022.

The public consultations will seek the views and varied perspectives of stakeholders and interested parties to support the development of the new primary curriculum.

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Programme for Educational Advancement and Relevant Learning (OECS PEARL) is a four-year programme that seeks to advance progress towards the goals of the OECS Education Sector Strategy (OESS) through increased access and improved student learning in basic education.

A new curriculum is required to successfully meet the needs of the community, address present-day contextual realities and navigate dynamic and highly competitive work environments of the future.

Saint Lucia is currently in a process of reviewing primary education to inform potential changes that will be implemented via an initiative being undertaken through our membership of the OECS.

Public consultation is critical to identifying the competencies that need to be emphasized in the curriculum.

The Department of Education, Innovation and Vocational Training invites Students, Teachers, Principals, Parents, Education Officers, Curriculum Officers, Families, Members of the Business and Creative Sectors, Advocacy Groups, and all interested persons to participate in the consultation.

The OECS PEARL is funded by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). With its vision of “A quality education for every child,” the GPE will help optimise education systems so that all children can learn, including those marginalised by poverty, ethnicity, disability and displacement, and puts gender equality at the heart of what the partnership does and how it operates (GPE 2025).

The OECS PEARL is primarily being implemented in four Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Member States: Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, whilst the other five English-speaking Member States of the OECS are involved in some aspect of implementation.

The OECS PEARL consists of four main components: (1) Enhanced quality and equity of access for Early Childhood Education (ECE); (2) Enhanced Curriculum and Assessment; (3) Strengthened Leadership and Management; and (4) Program Management, Institutional Strengthening, Monitoring and Evaluation.

Source: Department of Education. Stock photo courtesy Annie Spratt.