Ensuring that students can pursue an education is a top priority for the Government of Saint Lucia.
According to a release from the Office of the Prime Minister, government has laid the foundation to help parents and guardians meet costs to ensure children are guaranteed a place in government learning institutions.
“The Saint Lucia Social Development Fund disbursed more than $2 million for educational assistance in 2022,” noted the release, adding that the government continues to absorb the cost of facility fees for all secondary school students.
“CXC examination fees for Math and English are free for Form 5 students. Local businesses are eligible for tax incentives for assisting employees who are pursuing tertiary education. Prime Minister Pierre is taking it further and wants to ensure every household produces at least one professional university graduate,” according to the release.
Government’s University Package of Assistance Programme has received a $500,000 allocation in the Prime Minister’s 2023-2024 Budget to this end.
Government is also investing a $16.8 million grant from the EU to support the Generation of Employment through the Private Sector Development Project [GEPSED] by providing unemployed youth and vulnerable groups opportunities for occupational training with local vocational and academic institutions, job placement, and startup capital for small business ventures.
“Education is a fundamental human right. Ensuring students of all ages are allowed to pursue an education is a non-negotiable priority of government,” read the release.
In 2021, Pierre noted that government has “a responsibility to our children to ensure they have a hopeful future filled with opportunities. That’s why providing an environment that is conducive to learning at every stage of their development will be a priority of a Saint Labour Party Government.”
“I am very passionate about the education revolution through curriculum and institutional reform. Using our bilateral agreements, we will lobby for more scholarship opportunities, foreign exchange programmes and adopt and design best global practices and standards in education,” Pierre said.
Pierre, in 2021 also vowed that government would promote education as a right and not a privilege, and a means to unlocking the full potential of every citizen.
The party’s 2021 manifesto stated that “Our education policy will, therefore, encourage life- long learning, and will address all levels of the education process in a coherent way, from early childhood (ECD) to tertiary level and personal economic empowerment.”