Focusing on purposeful, inclusive education continues

While Spicemas is in the air, this newspaper is aware that this time of the year is also used to focus on the education system as it relates to schools and the success of students. We have been following some necessary introductions even to come up to standard with modern technology and have decided to share them with our readers this week.

As concerns continue to be raised over what teachers are seeing as illiteracy especially in students at secondary schools, once again the Ministry of Education is trying to solve that problem by taking a new approach to ensure that students’ literacy is optimal by the time they get to secondary school. In the new academic year, Foundational Literacy at the primary level will be introduced. The illiteracy problem can be seen as one of the drawbacks from the introduction of the Universal Education concept which came with the ‘Up and out’ idea. All students do not learn at the same pace which requires some kind of attention.

With the introduction of the new programme this year, which is expected to mitigate the problem at schools all CPEA students upon entering secondary school, will be assessed by way of a baseline examination to get a full understanding their needs. In relation to intervention, the Ministry has promised to continue increasing the number of literacy coordinators attached to secondary schools to work along with the English teachers.

In addition to this new thrust, last year the Education Collective Grenada (ECG) saw the return of its annual teacher training programme, with a renewed focus on the purpose of education in Grenada, centering on cultural relevance, inclusivity, and student well-being.

Grounded in de-colonial pedagogy, cultural responsiveness, and social-emotional learning, the ECG Programme featured a dynamic two-tiered approach to professional development: a five-day summer intensive, followed by a year-long mentorship programme. It was designed to strengthen student retention, foster inclusive classroom practices, and nurture a new generation of empowered Grenadian educators.

It was more than just teaching techniques, it was about restoring cultural identity in the classroom, building emotionally intelligent learning environments, and supporting teacher well-being

That programme was led by ECG’s executive team: Dr Caroline Henry, Executive Director; Dr Salisha Allard-Balisdell, Director of Advancement; Dr Lisa Francis-Charles, Director of Curriculum; and Dr Nadia Lopez, Director of Educational Outreach, who are deeply committed to empowering teachers to deliver education that reaches every learner and helps them maximize their potential.

The training was facilitated by a dedicated network of volunteer educators from across the diaspora and culminated with an official Certificate Luncheon and Press Conference on July 18, 2025, celebrating the accomplishments of the programme’s second teacher cohort. That ECG Teacher Training Programme was made possible through the collaborative efforts of Campeche International, the Ministry of Education, district education leaders, principals, and committed ECG volunteers. Since its founding in 2021, ECG has trained over 60 Grenadian educators, providing workshops, seminars, and mentorship opportunities that focus on educational equity and excellence, inclusion, as well as Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM).

Meanwhile, in holding on to the standard in education, news from Barbados reveal that the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC®) has announced major reforms to its School-Based Assessment (SBA) framework, aimed at strengthening assessment integrity across Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination® (CAPE®) and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate® (CSEC®) examinations, in response to the rapid rise of Generative AI and other technological innovations.

CXC® Registrar and CEO, Dr Wayne Wesley has pointed out that the move is not intended to resist the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in the learning process, but rather to safeguard the integrity of the assessment process as learners, and the regional education system continues to adjust to the scale of the impact of AI on Caribbean education.

Dr Wesley said that CXC® will always act in the best interest of the region, even when that requires difficult decisions.

When the system that was designed to assess a student’s work can no longer reliably do so, the obligation is to

Act decisively, and that is precisely what this reformed framework represents.

The reforms to the CXC® School-Based Assessment follow extensive stakeholder consultations across 21 Caribbean states and territories and are scheduled to take effect in the 2027 academic year. For subjects that are genuinely practical in nature, where hands-on, project-based assessment captures competencies that a traditional examination room cannot, such as Agricultural Science, Visual Arts, Music, Physical Education, Technical Drawing, and Food Nutrition and Health, the SBA will be retained and its moderation strengthened.

For non-practical based subjects, including Mathematics, English, Caribbean History, Social Studies and Principles of Business, the traditional SBA will be phased out. In its place, candidates will be required to sit Paper 032, the existing alternative assessment, under examination conditions but, with significant adjustments designed to preserve reflective, extended learning -Candidates will receive their examination topics approximately one month in advance; Additional time will be allocated for the completion of the assessment; and Candidates will be permitted to bring reference notes into the examination room.

The new, deliberate and necessary design of the SBA, is expected to preserve the spirit of extended, reflective assessment while restoring CXC’s confidence in authorship and authenticity.

Students, parents and teachers across the region are called upon to hold to the high standard of the CXC® qualification, which must always reflect what the student knows and can do.

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