BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Building a Culture of Social and Emotional Learning, Decolonising Education, and AI in Education, are among the hot-button issues to be explored at the highly anticipated Regional Symposium and Policy Dialogue on Transforming Education, to be hosted by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and its partners from 2–4 October in the Cayman Islands.
Under the theme “Understanding, Leveraging, and Unlocking Our Full Potential”, the Symposium will offer thought-provoking discussions and expert presentations to equip stakeholders with tools to drive meaningful change in the Caribbean education sector.
Day one will kick off with a keynote session on Indigenising and Decolonising Education for National and Regional Transformation, confronting colonial legacies head-on and highlighting the urgent need to weave Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into our education systems. Later in the day, a session entitled A Youth-Mandated Agenda for Education Transformation: Amplifying Youth Voices in Education Policy and Planning will place youth at the heart of the movement for radical shifts in education.
Day two shifts the focus to innovation and resilience, beginning with the keynote, Beyond Academics: Building a Culture of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in Schools and Classrooms, driving home the importance of nurturing students’ emotional intelligence alongside academic growth. A key panel on AI in Education Transformation: Navigating Between the Promises and Potential Pitfalls will dive deep into the evolving role of artificial intelligence in reshaping classrooms across the Caribbean.
The final day focuses on revolutionising school environments, with a hard-hitting session on Reimagining the Future: Radical Shifts Needed for Caribbean Education Transformation, calling for a bold rethinking of past approaches and new, impactful solutions. The panel, Schools for a Healthier Caribbean: Joining Forces to Effect Changes in Patterns and Behaviours, will underscore the role of education in shaping healthier societies. The final plenary, Education for All: Creating Inclusive, Gender-responsive, and Learner-centred Systems in Education, will make the case for a fully inclusive, equitable education model that leaves no one behind.
The plenary sessions, including the opening ceremony, featuring a keynote address by Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, premier of the Cayman Islands, will be live-streamed on CDB YouTube and the CDB website.
The symposium is being hosted by CDB, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, the University of the West Indies, and the government of the Cayman Islands, in association with other development agencies.
Dr Martin Baptiste, CDB’s division chief, social sector, said:
“This symposium isn’t just about discussion, it’s a call to action. The goal of this robust agenda is to provide a platform where CDB and other entities invested in the sector are able to define, coordinate, and implement transformational change in teaching and training, consistent with the Sustainable Development Goal of quality education.”
Davion Leslie, programme manager, human resource development, CARICOM Secretariat, said:
“This timely Symposium provides the opportunity to accelerate the implementation of the CARICOM Human Resource Development 2030 Strategy. The CARICOM Secretariat is looking forward to collaborating with the CDB and other partners to use the outputs of the Symposium to transform the education system to unlock Caribbean human potential.”
The symposium will culminate in the development of the Agenda for Action, a document that will serve as the foundation for sustained efforts to improve education outcomes across the region.
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