IDENTITY, INDUSTRY AND CITIZENSHIP - STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES ON BASIC EDUCATION REFORM IN THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY

Oct 15, 2026

The postcolonial states of the English-speaking Caribbean inherited unequal political, social, and economic institutions from British rule. Although independence marked progress, independence and equality still elude contemporary Caribbean societies. This paper examines education reform by asking how students’ perspectives shape agenda-setting for basic education in the Caribbean Community. Using a grounded theory lens and focus groups in Kingston, Jamaica, it finds identity, industry, and citizenship as core aims, with standardized testing viewed as an impediment. Recommendations prioritize identity, industry and citizenship through a progressivist curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

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Research Objectives and Questions

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IDENTITY, INDUSTRY AND CITIZENSHIP: STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES ON BASIC EDUCATION REFORM IN THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY ZAHRA L. HENRY London School of Economics and Political Science, UK ABSTRACT The postcolonial states of the English-speaking Caribbean inherited unequal political, social, and economic institutions from British rule. Although the region’s forefathers made decided strides towards rebuilding new nations, independence and equality still elude modern Caribbean societies. The systemic challenges that the region faces, situated within the threats and opportunities of globalization, have implications for education and other social services. This paper explores the challenge of education reform by asking the question: What do students’perspectives contribute to the agenda-setting of basic education in the Caribbean Community? Using a grounded theory lens to analyse the site of Kingston, Jamaica, through focus groups and thematic analysis, the paper investigates students’perspectives on basic education reform. The research finds that students view identity, industry, and citizenship as fundamental aims of Caribbean education, but consider standardized testing as an impediment to achieving these objectives. The study recommends the incorporation of identity, industry and citizenship through progressivist curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment into the reform of basic education in the region. BACKGROUND In 1973, newly independent Commonwealth Caribbean (CC) countries organized themselves into the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), an organisation which seeks to strengthen the sociopolitical and economic capacity for its member-states through functional cooperation and regional integration (Integrationist Caribbean, 2020, Economic Integration: An Introduction, para. 2) . Despite these objectives, socioeconomic inequalities persist, evidenced by the region’s high rates of youth crime, violence, and unemployment. The CARICOM Secretary-General reported that in 2017, 80% of the region’s prosecuted crimes was committed by youth aged 19-29, attributed to the high youth unemployment rate of 25%(LaRocque, 2019) . That CARICOM registered 63% of the region’s population as under age 30 (CARICOM 2012, Draft CARICOM Youth Action Plan 2012-2017), underscores the stymied capacity of member-states to develop their social services, leading to a vicious cycle of underdeveloped human capital, reduced social cohesion and brain drain (Almendarez, 2013) . The region’s colonial legacy of socioeconomic and political inequalities, which pose challenges to youth development, has direct implications for Caribbean education policy. CC countries inherited the British grammar school model, based heavily on examinations and cognitive pedagogy (Bacchus, 2005) . Scholars have argued that socioeconomic inequalities, manifested noticeably through first language differences amongst students, have had disparate effects on their achievement in standardized tests (Smith et al., 2020), whilst emphasis on behaviourist pedagogy has stunted constructivist teaching and learning (Cummings & James, 2014) . The CARICOM Human Resource Development (HRD) 2030 Strategy seeks to improve access, participation, and quality in education, promote personal development and foster Caribbean citizenship, whilst at the same time remain Educational Planning 2021 43 Vol. 28, No. 4 sensitive to global market demands (CARICOM, 2017). However, the Strategy’s emphasis on labor market preparedness (LMP) may conflict with its objectives for quality in Caribbean education and citizenship. In this context, postcolonial Caribbean education scholars have recognized the importance of adopting a region-centric approach to education policy in an increasingly globalized environment by incorporating native curriculum, progressivist pedagogy and assessment into Caribbean education systems. Though students’perspectives have been sought to address specific elements of schooling, existing Caribb

FAQs

What does the study identify as fundamental aims of Caribbean basic education?

Students view identity, industry, and citizenship as fundamental aims of Caribbean education.

What obstacle do students associate with achieving those education objectives?

Students consider standardized testing an impediment to realizing these objectives.

How does the research approach the analysis of students’ perspectives?

The study uses a grounded theory lens and analyzes focus-group data through thematic analysis in Kingston, Jamaica.

Oct 15, 2026

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