SCHOOL AMALGAMATIONS & ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES BEING CONSIDERED

A continued decline in the number of children entering Barbados’ schools is poised to transform the island’s education sector, with government officials actively reviewing how resources are allocated and considering school amalgamations and repurposing.

Minister of Training and Tertiary Education Sandra Husbands confirmed on Tuesday that the shrinking student population will inevitably prompt adjustments to the educational framework. Her comments came following this year’s sitting of the Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examination (11-plus) by 2,981 students – a slight decrease from 3,011 in 2024.

“Yes, we have a decline in our population overall,” Husbands told reporters during a site visit to Frederick Smith Secondary School in Trents, St James. “And we are beginning to see it turn up in the registration of births, and the number of children therefore, will be reduced coming through the school system.”

With enrolment figures projected to continue falling, the Ministry of Education has begun reviewing how best to allocate resources in response. According to the minister, ministry officials have already drafted plans for consolidating and repurposing schools that are underutilised.

Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw reinforced this, revealing that an analysis has been completed to identify schools suitable for amalgamation.

“We’ve completed an analysis of the schools that should be amalgamated. That paper is right now before the minister of education for him to provide the feedback, but we looked at a number of criteria to determine which schools should be considered for repurposing,” Archer-Bradshaw explained. “The criteria involves school roll. We look to see whether there were emerging housing areas within the school location, [and] we also look to see whether the bus route was one that made sense.

“There are a number of factors that we considered in terms of proposing which schools should be reconsidered for repurposing and refurbishing. I can’t say at this stage [which schools] – I need to get the feedback from the minister and of course, the Cabinet.”