Minister for Education and Culture, Honourable Myron V. Walwyn has stated  that the draft CARICOM Regional Education and Human Resource Development (HRD) Strategy will “level the playing field” for Caribbean people.

Honourable Walwyn was addressing a National Consultation for United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), which are also CARICOM Associate Members, earlier today.

Honourable Walwyn said, “[The strategy] is timely as it presents a platform for us across the region. It allows for a common set of standards as our people move throughout the region and beyond and helps to ensure that we are operating on a more level playing field.”

The Minister told the participants that the Virgin Islands signed on to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the UNESCO Education 2030 Incheon Declaration.

He added, “We have been working diligently to see how we can realise these goals through a system of inclusion, improving the management of our schools, ensuring quality teachers are in all our classrooms, infusing the use of technology in the teaching learning process, ensuring Technical Vocational Education and Training is a priority area and ensuring that we meet the needs of all our students. These are all key issues to be addressed in our education strategic plan.”

Attendees represented the health, education, labour, media, youth, sports and human resources sectors.

The aim of the CARICOM Regional Education and Human Resource Development (HRD) 2030 Strategy and Action Plan is to guide the HRD, education and training directions and priorities of Member States of CARICOM. The strategy provides the framework for Member States to align their national strategies and plans.

The consultation includes representatives from Anguilla, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands and the Virgin Islands.

The vision of the Strategy is "Unlocking Caribbean Human Potential” and is in line with CARICOM’s 2030 Strategic Development Goals and the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDGs).

The Ministry of Education and Culture is committed to creating a “Culture of Excellence”.                

Photographs are attached.

1. Minister for Education and Culture Honourable Myron V. Walwyn at the CARICOM Consultation for the 2030 Human Resource Development Strategy. (Photo credit: Franklyn Skerritt/GIS)
2. Deputy Programme Manager – Education, CARICOM Secretariat Ms. Patricia McPherson at the CARICOM Consultation for the 2030 Human Resource Development Strategy. (Photo credit: Franklyn Skerritt/GIS)
3. Scenes from the CARICOM Consultation for the 2030 Human Resource Development Strategy. (Photo credit: Franklyn Skerritt/GIS)
4. Scenes from the CARICOM Consultation for the 2030 Human Resource Development Strategy. (Photo credit: Franklyn Skerritt/GIS)