Stocktaking Reviews on Citizenship Education in the Caribbean

Two stocktaking reviews have been undertaken for the Caribbean region, 1) for the countries of the Commonwealth Caribbean and 2) for Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The former include the following countries: Belize, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Jamaica, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana.

 

Review objectives:

 

  1. To examine policy and curricular documents to determine statements and objectives relative to the promotion of citizenship education.
  2. To assess the content and methodology of pre-service and in-service teacher education with regard to citizenship education in the specified countries.
  3. To make practical recommendations for improving quality in the design and implementation of teacher education programmes for the teaching of citizenship at primary and secondary school levels.

 

Review findings:

 

  • Evidence was found of considerable efforts in the countries of the region to incorporate dimensions of education for citizenship in formal school curricula, whether as a separate subject (such as in Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Haiti), or more commonly within other subject areas or disciplines, notably social studies. A wide range of thematic areas is covered in citizenship education with the conceptualisation of citizenship and the emphasis on what is taught, differing among countries, reflecting historical, social and cultural factors, and prevailing dominant ideologies. Themes taught include: human rights and responsibilities, civic awareness, democratic values and freedom; identity, patriotism, social values, ethics and justice, conflict resolution and culture of peace, appreciation of and respect for diversity, health (including sexual health) and environmental awareness, work ethic, entrepreneurial skills and economic development.
  • A need was nevertheless observed for better conceptualization of citizenship and citizenship education in light of current socio-economic and political realities within the sub-region. Existing possibilities and limitations for the evolution of democracy within Caribbean states, challenges to the formation of social identities caused by the region's specific history, migration patterns and continuing economic dependence; severe levels of poverty and socio-economic inequalities; the impact of globalisation, environmental degradation and the HIV/AIDS epidemic, are all felt to be critical issues which have to be taken into account in the development of an effective citizenship formation project at the school level.
  • Furthermore, the present teaching of issues related to citizenship formation was felt in a number of cases to be too dispersed within the curriculum, with no coherent policy regarding content or teaching models and approaches.
  • There is insufficient allocation of both human and financial resources to citizenship education in the sub-region, at the levels of both curriculum development departments and schools. Teaching-learning resources were felt to not adequately meet the needs of students and teachers. Furthermore, citizenship education is not given sufficient amounts of time within an already crowded school curricula.
  • Teacher education programmes across the region do not adequately address citizenship education in the school curriculum although there is evidence of some focus on relevant themes and issues. Teachers are not sufficiently prepared to teach the skills, attitudes, behaviours required of citizenship education programmes, to use participatory, student centred approaches, nor to adopt a coherent interdisciplinary approach.
  • The conceptualisation, development and implementation of citizenship education programmes could benefit from increased interaction and partnership with the wider civil society.
  • While there are already some inter-country initiatives in citizenship education in the Caribbean, there is a need and desire for the development of this curricular area to be tackled in a coordinated regional manner, given the common developmental challenges of Caribbean territories, with opportunities provided for the sharing of good practices in this field.


Recommendations

 

  • A number of recommendations were made for improving the training and preparation of teachers as citizenship educators. These included the following:Establish and adhere to a profile for the citizenship education teacher;
  • Ensure that teacher education programmes include theoretical aspects of citizenship education to give teachers good grounding in key conceptual and epistemological issues;
  • Focus on cross-curricular or transversal approaches, student-centred, participative learning methodologies and innovative assessment methods for citizenship education in teacher training programmes;
  • Provide opportunities for trainee teachers to engage in practical activities related to citizenship formation including community-based projects;
  • Improve teacher training materials;
  • Provide adequate information services for citizenship educators to continuously upgrade and update their knowledge and skills;
  • Increase provision of in-service training through workshops and seminars.