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She outlined five specific goals set under the plan which included “… the learning outcomes of our students, improving teachers’ quality of instructional leadership, enhancing the physical infrastructure, strengthening the operational functioning of this ministry, and enhancing our regulatory framework.” The education administrator noted that any reimagination of the education system must be systematic, sustainable, and based on research. “I know when we speak of education, there’s a tendency to focus on Sustainable [Development] Goal Four that speaks to the inclusive and equitable quality of education and promoting lifelong opportunities for all. However, we must recognise that Sustainable [Development] Goal Eight is extremely important. [It] deals with the promotion of sustained inclusive, and sustainable equitable
“We [are] really focused on trying to develop a digital learning ecosystem that would support lifelong learning ..."
Germain Anthony Technical Specialist in Education Development Management at the OECS Commission
produce exactly that kind of citizen. I know, also, there’s a lot of focus on technology and how this can facilitate the reimagination, and on education and transitioning to more distributed modalities for learning … but there really ought to be a more concentrated focus on what are these values. “I think any young citizen should be aware of these existential threats that they are facing: climate change; Right now, we’re all dealing with this high inflation period; If you’re living in the Caribbean, you’re probably experiencing a lot of Saharan dust; The COVID-19 pandemic has given us a lot to think about. We need to think about what kind of citizen is equipped to deal with these kinds of challenges. What kind of citizen is able to think about the solutions that can really allow us to continue to inhabit this planet for, hopefully, thousands and thousands of years to come,” he stated . Anthony also pointed to the need for further technological development: “We [are] really focused on trying to develop a digital learning ecosystem that would support lifelong learning, and the idea is that this would be a type of platform … or environment that promotes learning at all levels, at all stages. And [whether it be] the K-12, higher education, professional development, there’s a lot that we’re in the process of doing. “But more important than that is the philosophy that learning is continuous. And I think that is something we need to embed in the minds of all of our children in school: that you never stop learning; and in the minds of our educators, that you never stop learning,” Anthony said. l
economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.
“The two sustainable development goals are inextricably linked. It means that we have to find a way for our education system to prepare our students that they’re able to function as contributing citizens in the future,” Archer- Bradshaw said. T echnical Specialist in Education Development Management at the St. Lucia-based Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, Germain Anthony , highlighted the need to go beyond reimagining the education system and addressed other critical areas that he said were not receiving enough attention. “I’m speaking specifically to the values and what I would call an appropriate philosophy for what kind of citizen, whether it be OECS, CARICOM or global citizen, that the education sector should be trying to create. And therefore, the education sector must be reconfigured to
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