TEACHER EDUCATION, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND
COMPETITIVENESS: THE CASE OF BARBADOS*
By
Andrew S Downes PhD
Professor of Economics and Pro Vice Chancellor
University Office of Planning and Development
University of the West Indies
January 2015
* Feature Address delivered at the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College
Graduation Ceremony, 24 January, 2015,
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INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS:
I would like to thank the Board of Management of the College, through its
Principal, for inviting me to deliver the Feature Address at this year’s
graduation ceremony. It was indeed a pleasure to accept this invitation
especially given the long association I have had with the Principal going
back to our days as undergraduates at the Cave Hill Campus of the
University of the West Indies (UWI). Further, The College and the UWI
have had a longstanding relationship in the provision of education and
training for teachers in Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the graduands
and wish them all the very best in their careers within the teaching
profession. Having been in the educational profession for all of my adult
life, I can say that it will be a rewarding journey especially in terms of
psychic income (non-monetary satisfaction that accompanies an occupation)
if not in monetary income. I certainly look forward to interacting with some
of you in the near future as you seek to educate and train the future
generations of the Barbadian/Caribbean labour force.
It is always difficult selecting a topic for such graduation ceremonies. Given
my background in economics and education, I thought that it would be
useful to look at the broader context within which teacher education and
training take place.
For a small developing country such as Barbados, the quality of the human
resource base is critical to the development process. Education and training
at all levels therefore play a vital role in the development of the human and
social capital of the country (along with health and nutrition). The small
size of the domestic economy also means that international trade is a sine
qua non for the country. The drive to be competitive in a dynamic global
economy means that the country has to enhance the productivity and
creativity of its human resources on an ongoing basis.
In these two areas of human development and competitiveness, teacher
education and training have a significant role to play since the school system
provides the foundation of a high quality labour force and its effects on the
economic system.
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I will first look at the nature of human development and its relation to
human resources development and then examine the relationship to the
competitiveness challenge facing a small developing country such as
Barbados. The role of teacher education and training is then situated in the
human development- competitiveness nexus. I conclude with some
suggestions for enhancing the role of teacher education and training in
advancing the macro economic development process in Barbados.
THE NATURE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT:
Over the past three decades development specialists have advocated that
social and economic progress should be measured by examining the nature
of “human development”. In a wider perspective, some persons have added
environmental concerns so that we have the concept of sustainable human
development which examines the relationship between humans and their
physical environment.
Human development has been defined as the “process of enlarging people’s
choices and enhancing human capabilities (the range of things people can
be and can do) and freedoms enabling them to: live a long and healthy
life, have access to knowledge and a decent standard of living, and
participate in the life of their community and decisions affecting their
lives” [Scott et al, n d, p.1]
Central to the concept of human development are issues of social progress,
efficiency, equity, human security, human rights, participation and freedom.
By enlarging choices and enhancing capabilities and freedoms, people are
able to develop their knowledge, skills and competencies to both personal
and social benefit. This is the essence of human resources development
which is vital to overall growth and development especially in small
developing countries.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has sought to
quantify the concept in the form of a Human Development Index ( HDI)
which measures the relative progress which country have been making with
enlarging choices and enhancing capabilities and freedoms. The HDI
combines measures of three critical dimensions of human development:
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 A long healthy life as measured by life expectancy
 Access to knowledge as measured by the average number of years of
education received in a life time by persons aged 25 years and older
 A decent standard of living as measured by the real value of Gross
National Income per capita
As you will note education and training play an important role in the concept
of human development both directly (access to knowledge) and indirectly
(a long healthy life and a decent standard of living).
Barbados has performed very well over the years and is now classified as a
very highly human developed country. Although it has slipped in the world
rankings over the years (from 20th in the 1990s to 59th in 2013) it has made
significant progress in the various components of the index:
 life expectancy increased from 68.4 years in 1980 to 75.4
years in 2013;
 expected years of schooling increased from 12.2 years to 15.4
years over the 1980 to 2013 period;
 mean years of schooling jumped from 6.3 in 1980 to 9.4 in
2013
 Real Gross National Income grew from $10,119 in 1980 to
$14’927 in 2011, but declined to $13,604 in 2013 as a result of
the Great Recession.
 The overall HDI rose from 65.8 in 1980 to 77.6 in 2013.
[UNDP Human Development Report 2014: Barbados]
As will be indicated later, the developments in the education sector have
contributed significantly to Barbados realising the state of a “very highly
developed country” in terms of its human development.
COMPETITIVENESS
The World Economic Forum which produces the Global Competitiveness
Report defines the concept of competitiveness as “ the set of institutions,
policies and factors that determine the level of productivity of a country, in
an effort to understand and measure the drivers of economic prosperity”
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[WEF, 2011-12, p 51]. The underlying drivers or pillars of competitiveness
include: the quality of institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic
environment, health and primary education, higher education and
training, the efficiency of the commodity, labour and financial markets,
technological readiness, market size, business sophistication and innovation.
Again we see the role of education and training in enhancing productivity
and competitiveness as advocated by human capital theorists
The WEF has identified three (3) stages of development for countries:
 Stage 1: Factor driven --where a country competes on its basic
factor endowments ( largely unskilled low wage labour and
natural resources)
 Stage 2: Efficiency driven---where the country develops
efficient production systems and improves product quality as
increased wages make price competition untenable
 Stage 3 : Innovation driven ---where the country has to
compete by producing new and differentiated products using
more sophisticated production processes ( high value added
products)
Barbados has been classified as making the transition from the efficiency
to the innovation stage. Higher education and training along with
innovation and business sophistication are critical to this transition process.
Barbados overall ranking in the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) has
moved from 41st out of 122 countries in 2006/7 to 55th out of 144 countries
in 2014/15, which suggest some degree of slippage in the country’s
international competitiveness position. The education drivers or pillars
indicate the follow results:
 While the Higher Education and Training pillar slipped in
the rankings from 24th to 30th over the 2006/7 to 2014/15
period, Barbados still remained in the top 20% of countries
during the period
 The Quality of the Education System remained steady over
the period and moved from the top 15 % to the top 10%
 The Quality of the Primary Education System remained
very high and was in the Top 5% during the period
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 There was also some improvement in the Extent of Staff
Training as the ranking moved from 49th to 39th over the
period.
In summary, although Barbados’ performance has been relatively good over
the years with the level of human development improving since 1980 and
the degree of competitiveness remaining relatively steady over the past
decade, both the HDI and the GCI suggest some degree of slippage relative
to the rest of the world (i.e. a decline in the ranking of the country). This
means that the country must re-double its efforts in boosting the factors
which contribute to improved performance in human development and
competitiveness.
Education and training are common elements in both the HDI and the GCI:
by enhancing human development via education and training the
knowledge, skills and competencies of persons are enhanced thus leading
to higher levels of productivity, a greater competitive edge and overall
growth and development.
ROLE OF THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
Barbados has enjoyed publicly funded (“free to the consumer”) education
from primary to tertiary since the 1960s. There is mandatory schooling up to
the age of 17 years (that is, universal primary and secondary level of
education. The underlying approach to education has been a “social
demand” approach to educational provision. Such an approach has no doubt
contributed significantly to the socio-economic development of Barbados
and its high ranking in the HDI and GCI. Yet there is significant wastage in
the school system:
 Data from Population and Housing Censuses indicate that in
1990, 63% of the adult population had no certification, while in
2000 the figure was 57% and in 2010 it stood at 48 % in 2010
 The Caribbean Examinations Council ( CXC) reports that the
average pass rate in the Caribbean for English A is 59% and for
Mathematics it is 37% at the Caribbean Secondary Education
Certificate (CSEC) level ( Barbados’ results would not be too
far from the average)
 There is low examination registration for the STEM –related
subjects at the CSEC level
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 Absenteeism is problematic at the CSEC level with the rate
being 16% for English A and 18% for Mathematics in the
January 2014 examinations
Although certification might not be the end goal of the educational system, it
provides a useful signal of a person’s capability in the labour market and has
been used by employers as a screening mechanism. While Barbados shows a
high percentage of persons in the labour force with secondary level
education, it is not reflected in the occupational classification of workers.
Recent labour force data (2014) indicate that 16% of the employed labour
force were in “elementary occupations” and 20% were service and shop
workers which can be regarded as “low skill” occupations requiring little
formal certification. For an economy moving towards the innovation stage of
development, having 36% of its employed labour force in “low skill”
occupations is not flattering.
There is certainly a need for educational transformation if Barbados is to
get out of the so-called “middle income trap” and move to a higher level of
development. There has been a call for the development of “knowledge
households” in keeping with the development of a “knowledge economy”.
Such an approach would require some degree of “creative destruction” of
the educational and training system –curriculum reform, pedagogy,
assessment methods and transitional arrangements from one level to
another—if the enhancing of capability, the enlarging of choice and the
reduction of wastage are end goals.
ROLE OF TEACHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING
The teaching profession has a critical role to play in the transformation
process. Teaching enhances the learning process by:
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Conveying knowledge ( data and information);
Stimulating the brain/mind to think critically and creatively;
Inculcating values and behaviours;
Building innate talent and abilities
Developing skills and competencies
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Since teaching is a productive activity it needs to be developed or
cultivated. Teacher education and training therefore refers to
“the policies and procedures designed to equip prospective (and
existing) teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and
skills they require to perform their tasks effectively (and efficiently)
in the classroom, school and wider community” [Wikipedia]
The process involves initial teacher education and training (pre-service),
induction (early in-service) and continuing professional development.
Although research findings are not robust, quantitative research on the
impact of teacher education/training (largely in the USA) suggest that it has
a positive impact on student performance/achievement [Angrist and Lavy,
2001; Boyd et al, 2008; Harris and Sass, 2008 and Rivkin et al 2005]. There
is a need to undertake such quantitative research in the Caribbean
environment.
The issue of teacher education and training in the Caribbean has been well
examined by Newton (1996), Jennings (2001), Richardson (1994, 2004) and
Williams (n.d.). They raise such issues as curriculum relevance, quality
assurance, pedagogy, internal efficiency, professionalisation, incentives
for teachers, technological upgrading and staffing of teachers’ colleges
inter alia.. It is clear from these reviews that teacher development and the
institutions engaged in the delivery of teacher education and training need
some degree of reform and upgrading. Unless these matters are addressed in
a satisfactory manner then the impact of teacher education and training on
enlarging choices and enhancing capabilities would be undermined.
Going forward, policies and procedures must be designed and implemented
to advance teacher education and development. These should address such
matters as
technology use, quality standards, upgrading of teaching staff and
equipment at institutions which are training teachers, curriculum reform
for relevance in the next decade, pedagogy, improved professionalism of
teachers and associated incentives/benefits, the use of cost sharing in the
provision of teacher training in the context of a partnership arrangements(
student, government and the private sector), higher entry standards to the
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teaching profession, special needs education and action research to inform
policy.
Teachers are expected to play a key role in the regional integration
project—they represent one of the categories which fall under the provisions
for the free movement of labour skills. In addition, teachers are expected to
contribute to the realisation of the “Ideal Caribbean Citizen” (creative,
multi-lingual, technologically and environmentally aware, gender-sensitive,
strong work ethic, entrepreneurial etc). In effect, teachers and teacher
education must therefore go beyond the instructional/reproductive to the
transformational.
This may seem like a tall order for the teaching profession but it is
imperative that the process be undertaken if the social and economic
development of the country and the region is to be enhanced. One objective
would be to reduce wastage in the system by ensuring that no student is left
behind, but can realise his/her potential—what they can do and can be.
Teachers and students must be involved in what is taught, how it is taught,
how students are assessed and what remedial or recovery mechanisms are
needed. They should also involve other stakeholders in the process as
studies on the transition from school to work in the Caribbean indicate a
more holistic approach to education and training is needed
I trust that you graduands would take your honoured place in the teaching
profession and contribute to the future human development and
competitiveness of the country and the region.
I wish you all the very best in your next endeavours.
Thank you your attention.
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