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The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an English-speaking nation of approximately 1.2 million inhabitants at the southernmost tip of the West Indies. Trinidad is situated just 10 miles from the east coast of Venezuela and is the more industrialised of the two islands. 96% of the country’s inhabitants reside in Trinidad with 4% in Tobago. The capital of the country is Port of Spain in Trinidad. Two major ethnic groups, Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonians and Afro-Trinidadian and Tobagonians account for almost 80% of the population.
The country has a stable government and has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses and has one of the highest growth rates and per capita incomes in Latin America. Economic growth between 2000 and 2007 averaged slightly over 8%, significantly above the regional average of about 3.7% for that same period. However, GDP has slowed down since then and contracted about 3.5% in 2009, before rising more than 2% in 2010. Growth has been fuelled by investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG), petrochemicals, and steel. Trinidad and Tobago is the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, and its economy is heavily dependent upon these resources but it also supplies manufactured goods, notably food products and beverages, as well as cement to the Caribbean region. Oil and gas account for about 40% of GDP and 80% of exports. The country is also a regional financial center, and tourism is a growing sector, although it is not as important domestically as it is to many other Caribbean islands.
The incidence of violent crime has risen in recent years on both islands and affects local and expatriate communities, and tourists.
Education in Trinidad and Tobago is free and compulsory between the ages of 5 and 16. Trinidad and Tobago is considered one of the most educated countries in the World as it has a literacy rate exceeding 98% (although this is disputed by many educationalists in country). The education system mirrors the British education system. Children are expected to have basic reading and writing skills when they commence primary school. Students proceed to a primary school at the age of five for seven years. During the final year of primary school, students prepare for and sit the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) which determines the secondary school the child is to attend. Students attend secondary school for a minimum of five years leading to the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, which is the equivalent of the British GCE ‘O’ levels. Children with satisfactory grades may opt to continue high school for a further two year period, leading to the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAFÉ), the equivalent of GCE ‘A’ levels. Both CSEC and CAE examinations are administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).
There are three Universities in Trinidad and Tobago. The University of the West Indies (UWI) has one of its three main campuses in St. Augustine. This University offers somewhat traditional courses and is often over-subscribed in certain subjects, leaving students no option but to look overseas or to distance-learning if they do not get a place or want to undertake an ‘unusual’ field of study. The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) offers more vocational and technical courses and the University of the Southern Caribbean is a private university that offers both bachelors and masters degrees.
The recently elected Government sees education as one of the seven interconnected pillars for sustainable development and has committed to providing an education system that supports lifelong learning and skills building. At tertiary level the principal strategy for the government is to:
•expand and develop tertiary education until they reach a 60% participation rate
•rationalise the tertiary sector to avoid duplication, wastage and needless overlap
•build efficiencies and effectiveness in the system
•synergise programmes offered with the needs of key development sectors areas in which the business community has identified shortages
•look to work with CARICoM to create a functional and responsive regional tertiary system
•to work with CARICOM to establish a Regional Qualifications Framework
There is a strong culture of education and learning in society and a great number of adults take distance learning courses, often whilst working full-time. The UK dominates the market in distance learning.
The Government is reviewing the entire education system and there is a commitment to a curriculum reform agenda to ensure that when children leave the education system they are literate, numerate and possess critical thinking skills and also possess skills to meet labour market needs. They are also encouraging awareness of e-learning and internet-based opportunities and a more holistic approach to educational success that is not just based on traditional academia but also the optimisation of multiple talents, including those in arts and sports.
Tertiary education is free for all up to graduate level when studying with one of the three Universities in Trinidad and Tobago. Due to the increasing demand for higher education, there now exists a number of local accredited institutions that also provide free education at graduate level. Students as these institutions are also given the opportunity to study UK qualifications through distance learning, with local tuition.
Trinidad and Tobago is one of the top ten distance learning markets in the world for UK qualifications with the University of London monopolising this sector with approximately 3,500 students per year. This level of study is popular as the government provides full-funding at undergraduate level and 50% funding at post-graduate level for students studying for courses locally (although students still pay the sterling fees to the UK Universities). The Government Assistance Programme (GATE) allows students who otherwise would not be able to afford to study overseas to acquire an international qualification whilst studying from home.
The British Council in Trinidad and Tobago is a small team comprising five staff members. Much of our work is in the area of education, collaborating with the Ministry of Education on their reform programme. We are one of the International Inspiration countries and have a memorandum of understanding between Trinidad and Tobago and the UK that will ensure a legacy to the Olympics 2012 is realised.
We also offer a school linking programme called Global School Partnerships where over 100 Trinidad and Tobago school have formed partnerships with UK partner schools to offer innovative ways of widening the global dimension of children’s education. We also contribute to the European Film Festival and provide exams hosting services.
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