This will be made possible because education ministries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) this month approved the development of a new Harmonized Curriculum that will focus on the skills and concepts that children of the region need for the future.

“That curriculum for primary schools of the OECS will use an interdisciplinary approach that connects core curriculum components with other critical life skills such as civics, creative arts, critical thinking, problem-solving and digital literacies,” a statement from the OECS said.

Development of the curriculum is slated to begin later this year with funding from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

The GPE is the largest global fund solely dedicated to transforming education in lower-income countries.

According to the OECS, education ministers committed to supporting a collaborative approach to developing a curriculum that is world-class and that will help transform teaching and learning that spotlights the child and their learning.

The decision to develop a new curriculum for primary school students was made at the sixth annual meeting of the (OECS) Council of Ministers.

At this meeting, a youth forum was held where young people from all OECS Member States, including the Associate Member States of Martinique and Guadeloupe, voiced their concerns with the education system and proposed recommendations.

Among the recommendations made by the youth is the need to modernize OECS classrooms, incorporate digital literacies, and endorse youth groups and councils of the OECS.