CDB’s Transforming Education Symposium to Strengthen Role of Parents as Partners in Student Success

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB / the Bank), in collaboration with the Ministry of Educational Transformation, Barbados, will host the 2025 Regional Symposium and Policy Dialogue on Transforming Education from September 30 to October 2, 2025, at the Wyndham Grand Resort in Barbados. Anchored by the theme "Stronger Together: Empowering Parents as Partners in Caribbean Education," the Symposium will focus on strengthening the role of parents and guardians as leaders and partners in building effective, inclusive education systems across the region.

Following the successful inaugural staging in 2024, the second edition of the Symposium aims to expand the conversation by placing parents and guardians at the centre of education transformation. The event will provide targeted capacity building, opportunities for dialogue with policymakers, and lay the groundwork for a sustainable regional framework to support parental involvement in education. Approximately 150 participants, including parents, educators, administrators, and Ministers of Education, will take part in plenaries, workshops, and policy discussions designed to strengthen collaboration and deliver measurable impact.

Underscoring the importance of the Symposium's focus, Mr. L. O'Reilly Lewis, CDB's Director of Projects (Ag), said, "Parents and guardians are indispensable partners in education. By equipping them with tools, knowledge, and a stronger voice, the 2025 Symposium will help create a more effective and inclusive education system that meets the needs of every learner."

A central feature of the programme will be high-level policy dialogue between Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and Ministers of Education, which will align PTA initiatives with national education priorities. The Symposium will also mark a historic milestone with the Constitution of the Caribbean Council of National Parent Teacher Associations and the adoption of its organisational Charter.

In outlining CDB's main objectives in staging the event, Dr. Martin Baptiste, CDB's Division Chief, Social Sector, said, "This event is about building bridges between parents and teachers, between PTAs and policymakers, and across our education systems. The establishment of a regional PTA is a historic step toward ensuring sustained collaboration among critical stakeholders and a brighter future for Caribbean students."

As part of its mandate to advance education, youth upliftment, and social development, CDB will make select sessions available to the public via broadcast on its website and social media platforms. These broadcasts are intended to give parents, guardians, educators, and students across the Caribbean access to practical information and tools that will help them achieve the best possible outcomes from the education system.

Key sessions scheduled for broadcast include:

• Parenting in a Digital Age: How Parents Can Provide Support for both Academic Success and Emotional Well-Being
• Breaking Barriers: Advocating for Learners with Diverse Needs
• Parents and CXC: Partnering for Student Success
• Creating Connection: Fostering Inclusive, Collaborative Parent-School Partnerships
• Student and Youth Perspectives: What Helps Us Learn, What Holds Us Back.

By convening diverse stakeholders and amplifying the voices of parents and guardians, CDB is reinforcing its commitment to ensuring that education systems across the Caribbean are better aligned with the realities of modern learners, more inclusive of family engagement, and more effective in delivering opportunities for every child to reach their full potential.

Symposium sessions will be broadcast at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm from September 30 to October 3, 2025. Interested persons can watch on the CDB website, as well as on CDB's LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube channels.