Reginald Farley Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports On May 27, 2003, the Honorable Reginald Richardo Farley was appointed Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports of Barbados. He is a member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and Chairman of the Sub-Committee of Social Partners. Born in June 1961, Farley obtained an Honors Degree in Economics and Management as well as a Certificate in Education from the University of the West Indies and Erdiston Teacher’s College. Mr. Farley joined the Barbados Labour Party in 1981 and has since then served as Executive Director of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce, Senator and Leader of Government Business, and Chairman of the Party. Mr. Farley has also been Head of the Barbados Ministries related to Industry, Commerce and Business.

Meeting the challenges of providing quality education for all

The Barbados Government is committed to the Dakar World Declaration on Education for All adopted in Jomtien, Thailand, 1990. Barbados has universal access at the primary and secondary levels of education. The Government’s main objectives are now focussed on enhancing the quality of education provided. To this end, a number of educational reforms have been introduced to ensure that all Barbadian young persons have the opportunity to develop the skills, competencies and attitudes which will enable them to respond to current social and economic needs.

The theme Each One Matters is the philosophical underpinning of all our educational initiatives. National curricula have been revised to stimulate the teaching-learning process so that students will develop analytical, problem-solving and creative thinking skills. New standards and targets have been established for HIV/Aids Education, Social and Emotional Learning as well as the infusion of values into the curriculum through the use of the Creative Arts.

The integration of technology into the curriculum is a major feature of the revised curricula. This has led to a programme of on-going re-training of teachers at all levels. In addition, technical/vocational programmes have been expanded to meet the needs of students interested in pursuing studies in these areas. Barbados is also firmly committed to expanding opportunities for all our three-year olds to gain access to education in Nursery and Primary Schools, cognizant of the benefits to be derived from early childhood education. Of equal importance is the provision of adequate educational opportunities for persons with special needs. In the context of the ongoing reforms, the provision of post-secondary/ tertiary level education in Barbados is being geared towards increasing adequately trained and qualified persons.

The initiatives outlined clearly demonstrate Barbados’ progress in the provision of educational opportunities at all levels to meet its commitment in achieving Education for All.