Education in Antigua and Barbuda

Education in Antigua and Barbuda is compulsory and free for children between the ages of 5 and 16 years.[1] The system of education in Antigua & Barbuda is based on the British educational system. The school year begins in September and ends in June of the following year. In order to ensure that all costs related to schooling are covered by the government, there is an education levy on all basic wages in Antigua and Barbuda, with the funds used toward such costs as supplies, transportation, and school infrastructure maintenance.[1] Primary education begins at the age of five years and normally lasts for seven years. Secondary education lasts for five years, with three years of lower secondary, followed by two years of upper secondary. In 2001, there were about 13,000 students enrolled at the primary schools and 5,000 students at the secondary schools. About 1,000 secondary school age students were enrolled in vocational programs. As of 2000, the primary pupil-teacher ratio was an estimated 19 to 1; the ratio for secondary school was about 13:1. The government administers the majority of the schools, including 42 public schools and 45 private schools.[2] In 2003, estimated spending on education was about 3.8% of the GDP. In 2000, about 38% of primary school students were enrolled in private schools.

Aid to Basic Education, the amount of bilateral and multilateral aid contributed or received by Antigua and Barbuda (source:UNESCO)

In 1972, the technical and teacher’s training colleges merged and formed the Antigua State College. Additional training options outside of university are offered at the Antigua and Barbuda Institute of Information Technology (ABIIT) and the Antigua and Barbuda Hospitality Training Institute (ABHTI).

In 2019, the University of the West Indies opened its fifth campus overall (and fourth physical campus) in Five Islands.[3] The country was previously served solely by the University of the West Indies Open Campus.[4] The government of Antigua and Barbuda contributes financially to the UWI.

The island of Antigua currently has three foreign-owned for-profit offshore medical school. The island's medical schools cater mostly to foreign students but contribute to the local economy and health care. The three schools are:

Those interested in higher education also enroll at schools in the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe and Canada. The adult literacy rate is approximately 89%.

See also

References
  1. "Antigua and Barbuda" Archived 2008-09-26 at the Wayback Machine. 2001 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor. Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor (2002). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2019). "2019 Antigua and Barbuda Business Plans Ministries of Government of Antigua and Barbuda and Statutory Organizations of the Public Sector" (PDF). 2019 Budget Summary. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  3. "UWI Five Islands officially accepts first students". Jamaica News. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  4. "The Open Campus in Antigua & Barbuda". The Open Campus. The University of the West Indies. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  5. "American University of Antigua, College of Medicine". Archived from the original on 22 August 2007. Retrieved 23 August 2007.
  6. "University of Health Sciences Antigua". Retrieved 23 August 2007.
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