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**[cheryl licorish tel: (246) 426-2858 ext 5295 fax: (246)
429-5935]{.smallcaps}**

**[e-mail:]{.smallcaps} <clicorish@bcc.edu.bb>**

**THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OF BARBADOS**

**Barbados operates on a 7-5-4 system: Primary School - 7 years**

**Secondary School - 5 years**

**Tertiary - 2-4 years**

**[Language]{.underline}:** The sole language of instruction throughout
the Barbadian education system is English. Text books and materials are
in English except where students in the secondary system are taking a
foreign language.

**[Education:]{.underline}** Free education from pre-primary to tertiary
levels is made available to all Barbadians. The education system is
structured into tiers with each level catering to a particular age group
but not restricted to that age group. There is some overlapping at each
one. These levels are: Pre-primary, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary.

.

1.  **Pre-Primary** -- at this level children between the ages of 3-5
    are taught in nursery schools and nursery classes in some primary
    schools.

2.  **Primary** -- at this level children between the ages of 5-12^+^
    are taught at primary schools.

3.  **Secondary** -- at this level children between the ages of 10 ^+^ -
    16^+^ are taught in secondary schools.

4.  **Tertiary** -- at this level young adults, who have completed
    secondary education, attend institutions which provide academic,
    technical, vocational, and university education.

**[Private Schools:]{.underline}** The educational system includes a
number of private primary and secondary schools which provide general
education similar to that in the public schools. Most of these are
secular schools with a few denominational ones accepting students of all
religious persuasions. Student enrolment at these schools represents
less than 5% of the total enrolment of the public schools. It is a
requirement of the Education Act that these schools satisfy standards
set by the Ministry of Education and that they be registered as having
done so.

**[Secondary School]{.underline}:** Just over 3500 Barbadian students
take the Barbados Secondary Schools' Entrance Examination (BSSEE). This
is an annual examination in English and Mathematics, taken by primary
school pupils aged 9^+^ -- 12^+^ who are seeking to transfer from
primary to secondary school. This examination is administered by the
Caribbean Examination Council (CXC). Pupils who sit the examination are
allocated to a given school based on:

1.  Grades obtained,

2.  Choices of parents,

3.  Availability of places in the secondary schools,

4.  Zoning.

    Children who are not accommodated in the 22 government secondary
    schools are awarded bursaries for private secondary schools.

The curriculum being followed in the secondary schools includes
Agriculture, Art and Craft, English Language, English Literature,
Religious and Moral education, Foreign Languages, History, Music,
Geography, Social Studies, Mathematics, the Sciences, Health and
Physical Education, Technical and Vocational Education including
Industrial Arts, Home Economics, Clothing and Textiles, Business
Education, and Information Technology. All students must take English
Language, Mathematics and a Foreign Language throughout their school
career. However, in their third year they have an option to concentrate
their studies in either the Arts (Social Sciences), Business, Technical
or Vocational areas. The secondary school transcript should contain a
letter grade for each subject taken from the First to the Fourth Form.
Grading is stringent with passing grades ranging from C being 50 -- 59
to A^+^ being 90 -- 100. The transcript will also contain the passes at
Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) in the Fifth Year and
Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examination (CAPE) at the Sixth Form level
if the student continues in the secondary school system. CSEC grades
range from I, the highest, to VI the lowest. Students who perform
exceptionally well are awarded Distinction. The CAPE passing grades
range from I being the highest to V the lowest.

At the end of their 5^th^ form year, secondary school students sit
examinations in the various subjects offered by the Caribbean
Examination Council (CXC). This regional examining body is responsible
for constructing and administering examinations in the various subject
disciplines. These exams are offered nationwide in May-June each year
with a limited number of subjects being offered in January. Results are
available in August for the May-June examinations, and by April for the
January examinations. Success at this level prepares students for entry
into the world of work or for further studies in sixth form schools or
post-secondary institutions. Students, who opt to attend sixth form
schools, pursue a two-year programme of study leading to the Caribbean
Advance Proficiency Examination.

CSEC grades I -- III at the General and Technical Proficiencies, satisfy
the matriculation requirements for four-year programmes at universities
and entry requirement to community colleges, teachers' colleges and any
tertiary institution offering post-CSEC programmes. All CSEC and CAPE
certificates carry the official CXC seal and the Registrar's signature.
Photocopies, may be verified by the Registrar at the Barbados Community
College, The Registrar at the CXC, or by the Education Officer
authorized by the Ministry of Education.

**[Tertiary Education]{.underline}:** Education at the tertiary level is
provided at academic, vocational and technical colleges as well as
University. There are approximately 11,000 students enrolled in tertiary
institutions in Barbados. There are four tertiary institutions, these
are:

**Erdiston Teachers College** -- This institution is responsible for the
training of all public school teachers on the island. The College
co-operates with the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic and the Barbados
Community College to provide certification in technical and vocational
areas such as Business Education, Industrial Arts and Home Economics.
These courses are mainly for teachers at the secondary level. The
college also offers a number of post-basic and continuing education
courses designed to meet the needs of teachers and the public.

**Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic --** This institution offers a wide
range of trade courses, and is responsible for training and developing
the skills of those persons who are interested in technical and
industrial related fields. Courses lead to either local certification or
qualifications of the City and Guilds of London Institute.

Types of training offered include --

a)  Training for students about to enter the labour market;

b)  Training for persons who wish to improve their skills; and

c)  Re-training for those desirous of changing their occupations.

**Barbados Community College (BCC)** -- This is an all embracing
institution which deals with the academic side of training and
development, as well as facilitating the training of skills at the
technical, paraprofessional, middle-management and pre-university
levels. The college offers courses in the Divisions of Liberal Arts,
Fine Arts, Health Sciences, Commerce, Technology, Computer Studies,
Physical Education, General and Continuing Education, The Language
Centre, and the Hospitality Institute. Courses of studies are of two
years duration and lead to the Associate Degree in Arts or Applied Arts,
Sciences or Applied Sciences. The Department of Fine Arts also offers a
Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In addition the college offers a wide
range of evening and summer courses as part of its service to the
community. The BCC has about 3,000 full-time students on roll. The
programmes at the College are assessed based on a credit system. The
Associate Degree is awarded to the student who accumulates a minimum of
seventy (70) credits including at least forty-eight (48) in his/her
major areas of study; passes the General Education core courses, and
relevant General Education elective courses.

**The University of the West Indies** **(UWI)** - An international
university, UWI draws most of its students from the Commonwealth
Caribbean. In addition to its three main campuses in Barbados (Cave
Hill), Jamaica (Mona) and Trinidad and Tobago, the UWI maintains centres
in the Bahamas and the participating non-campus countries where distance
education, adult education and other outreach programmes of the
University are conducted. The University offers a range of undergraduate
and postgraduate degrees, diplomas and certificates in areas such as the
humanities, science and technology, computer science, engineering,
education, medicine, law and agriculture. The total university enrolment
is approximately 23,000. Medicine, Engineering and Law are the highly
competitive fields of study.

The Cave Hill Campus in Barbados has an enrolment of approximately 5,000
and offers undergraduate and graduate programmes in Education, the
Humanities, Law, Pure & Applied Sciences and Social sciences, as well as
Clinical Studies & Research and graduate programmes in Medicine. The
Cave Hill Campus is recognised primarily for the strength of its
programmes at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in marine
resource and environmental studies; tropical horticulture,
biotechnology, alternative energy studies, natural products chemistry,
law, popular Caribbean culture, in particular cricket studies and
chronic disease research. UWI also attracts students from North America,
and some of its students participate in the institution's Study Abroad
programme in countries such as the U.S. and England.

The University operates a semester system based on a credit scheme. In
most faculties students are required to complete 90 credits towards the
degree. Normally, fully matriculated students (those possessing at least
two CAPE/GCE Advance certificates, Associate degree or equivalent)
complete their undergraduate degree programme in three years of
full-time study.

**[Scholarships offered by the Barbados Government]{.underline}:**
Students who perform exceptionally well at CAPE or the Associate Degree
at the BCC, are awarded a full scholarship to the University of their
choosing. An Exhibition is awarded to students whose performance is a
little less outstanding and while it finances a student's study at the
UWI, will only partially finance their education in the U.S. Students
may also apply for the Barbados National Development Scholarship to
finance their international education.

**[Barbadians in the United States]{.underline}:** Barbados is the fifth
leading country of origin of Caribbean students in the U.S., with 467
Barbadians enrolled in U.S. institutions in the 2005/2006 academic year.
Almost 60% of Barbadian students were enrolled in undergraduate
programmes and 37% in graduate programmes. The top receiving states,
Florida and New York, draw Barbadian students primarily due to family
ties.

**[Testing]{.underline}:** The SAT is offered seven times a year at one
location. The GRE and TOEFL are offered once a year. The TOEFL is
offered at the Barbados language Centre (BLS) located at the Barbados
Community College, and is administered to international students who
come to study English at the BLC. Generally, Barbadian students are not
required to take the TOEFL for admission to U.S. universities.

**[Educational Advising]{.underline}:** The Counselling & Placement
Centre (CPC) of the Barbados Community College offers among its
services, higher educational advising to students of the college as well
as all members of the public. The CPC is equipped with a well stocked
resource library of advising manuals as well as college and university
catalogues, view books, CD's and DVD's. Persons preparing for the SAT,
GRE, GMAT and TOEFL can obtain registration materials from the CPC, and
are permitted to borrow Study Guides to prepare for their tests. The
Centre hosts a Pre-departure Orientation to assist students in their
transition to International educational institutions. The CPC publishes
a newsletter each semester where space is devoted to educational
advising. To college and university international admissions
representatives, the CPC offers meeting space for them to meet with
prospective students. During 2005/2006 academic year the CPC received
405 inquiries about U.S. higher education. According to our statistics,
the most common fields of studies for which students request information
are Health Professions, Business Administration, Architecture, Hard
Sciences and Social Sciences. This year, the CPC will be hosting a
series of mini-fairs. U.S. universities are invited to contact the
adviser for further information about participating. Please contact the
Educational Adviser in Barbados, and refer your Barbadian applicants to
our Centre for any assistance that we can provide. We would appreciate
copies of your catalogue, view book, video and CD-ROM for our resource
centre. These may be mailed to the following addresses:

**Educational Adviser**

**Counselling & Placement Centre**

**Barbados Community College**

**Eyrie, Howell's Cross Road**

**St. Michael, Barbados**

Via the American Embassy at:

**P.O. Box 302**

**Bridgetown BB 11000**

**Barbados, W.I.**