Caribbean Development Bank is Devising a Transformative Policy & Strategy to Optimise the Regional Education System

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is designing a transformative education policy and strategy to unlock the potential of the Caribbean's predominantly young population, with nearly 60% under age 30.

Speaking at the opening of CDB's 2025 Regional Transforming Education Symposium and Policy Dialogue in Barbados, CDB President, Mr. Daniel Best, revealed that the Bank's comprehensive transformation strategy is being devised to address the entire education ecosystem.

"The global record is unequivocal, education accounted for half of global economic growth since 1980 and two-thirds of income gains among the world's poorest people," he explained. "Education is the most powerful driver of inclusive growth known to humanity, and the Caribbean must harness this force to transform our economic trajectory."

Under the Bank's "Rebirth" vision, Mr. Best explained, CDB is seeking to ensure that every Caribbean child can read, count, think critically, and navigate the digital world with confidence by Grade 3, while simultaneously cultivating future-ready skills for renewable energy, resilient construction, agro-tech, health tech, the creative economy, and the digital frontier, positioning Caribbean youth for emerging economic opportunities.

The CDB President also revealed that the transformation strategy will promote the integration of adaptive and AI-augmented learning technologies to personalise education and lift performance. The Bank will also emphasise building a Caribbean Digital Education Ecosystem that provides equitable access to devices, connectivity, and shared learning repositories. The enhanced approach also includes transforming universities into engines of discovery for blue and green economies, empowering teachers with comprehensive training in digital integration and ethics, and directly linking education to employment through micro-credentials and competency-based skills development.

CDB's comprehensive approach comes as stark data reveals the urgency for educational reform across the region. Fewer than one in five Caribbean adults hold university degrees, and this year's Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate results show only 44% of candidates passed five or more subjects, including Mathematics and English, well below satisfactory levels. At the same time, some Caribbean countries are losing more than 70% of their university graduates to migration, representing a critical drain on regional human capital.

The President stressed that weak educational outcomes currently constrain regional growth and deepen cycles of inequality, particularly as boys exit the education pipeline prematurely while girls' academic achievements fail to translate into leadership opportunities and pay equity. The Bank's approach, he explains, recognises that global poverty reduction over the past four decades, which saw extreme poverty decrease from 44% in 1981 to just 9% in 2022, was driven primarily by educational advancement.

"Our goal is to build ladders of opportunity across generations and create a sustainable legacy of prosperity for our people," Best declared. "We envision a Caribbean where young innovators harness AI and robotics, where universities fuel breakthroughs in renewable energy and climate resilience, and where our brightest minds no longer feel compelled to leave the region to succeed."

President Best also called on parents to actively engage as partners in educational transformation, noting that the region has always required collective effort for success. "In our region, it has always taken a village to succeed. And it will take the whole Caribbean village, including parents, teachers, communities, policymakers, and the diaspora, to raise this generation into prosperity," he said. "That is why parents must have a seat at the table of transformation. Through stronger Parent-Teacher Associations, regional alliances, and community networks, we are embedding parents' voices alongside policymakers in decisions that will shape Caribbean education for decades to come."

CDB's 2025 Regional Transforming Education Symposium and Policy Dialogue, which is being held in collaboration with the Ministry of Educational Transformation, Barbados, will run from September 30 - October 2 at the Wyndham Grand Resort, Barbados. With the theme, "Stronger Together: Empowering Parents as Partners in Caribbean Education", the event aims to strengthen the involvement of this critical group in the regional education system through capacity building, dialogue with policymakers, and the establishment of a sustainable regional Parent-Teacher framework. Close to 200 participants are in attendance, including parents, educators, administrators, development partners, and Ministers of Education.