This come after Hon de Castro attended a two-day retreat in St. Lucia on July. 7-8, 2022, alongside accompanied by President of H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC), Dr. Richard E. Georges, and other regional leaders in education and explored strategies for advancing higher education within the jurisdictions of the OECS.

“It is important to note that the ministers, presidents, and principals in attendance found that they shared many challenges in relation to creating access to tertiary education as well as reliable models for financing the sector,” Hon de Castro said.

The minister added that the challenges to be confronted have been categorized into seven strategic imperatives, two of which are focused primarily on improving access, relevance, and quality of higher education in the OECS.

Hon de Castro attended a two-day retreat in St. Lucia on July 7-8, 2022, alongside accompanied by President of H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC), Dr. Richard E. Georges, and other regional leaders in education.

Opportunities for TVET training

The others, she said, included providing opportunities for Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) for all learners and increasing access to and relevance of Tertiary and Continuing Education.

“This imperative recognizes the critical role that higher education has to play in the OECS in improving skills, growth, and productivity,” Honourable DeCastro added.

The meeting, which was held on the July 7 and 8 identified and examined some of the challenges confronting the development of higher education in the region, with a view to exploring strategies for advancing education at this level.

HLSCC President Richard Georges delivered a presentation on the successes and challenges faced by HLSCC and highlighted the opportunities the event has created for collaboration between regional colleges.