CARICOM Urges Bold Regional Education Transformation In The Digital Age

Caribbean countries are being urged to act with urgency to build resilient and inclusive education systems.

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Assistant Secretary-General for Human and Social Development, Alison Drayton, has underscored that the digital age is already reshaping Caribbean societies, economies, and futures.

“We cannot afford incremental adjustments. The pace of technological change demands bold, systemic transformation. Every delay risks widening inequities and leaving segments of our populations behind. When you layer that in with the impact of COVID-19 and the impact of the storms and hurricanes that challenge our region yearly, I cannot sufficiently emphasise the urgency of this,” she said.

Ms. Drayton was addressing the opening ceremony for the 2026 Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Ministerial Forum, held on Wednesday (March 18) at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

The Forum is being held under the theme ‘Navigating the Digital Age: Education Policymakers Speak on Digitalisation, Literacy and Numeracy’.

Ms. Drayton emphasised that teaching must be reimagined, moving beyond models rooted solely in content delivery, to embrace approaches that cultivate critical thinking, creativity and problem solving.

“We must support our teachers to become facilitators, innovators and leaders in the digital classroom. This requires a renewed commitment to teacher development, continuous, relevant and deeply aligned with digital competencies and pedagogical innovation. We must ask ourselves, ‘are we equipping our teachers for the classrooms of tomorrow or those of today?’” she said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Drayton stressed that learning must be flexible, inclusive, and responsive to the diverse realities of Caribbean learners.

She pointed out that it is important for educators to design systems that prioritise skills for life and work.

These skills, Ms. Drayton explained, enable citizens, not only to participate in the digital economy but also to shape it.

“At the same time, we must ensure that digital transformation strengthens rather than erodes Caribbean identity or values and\or cultural grounding,” she said.

Ms. Drayton challenged the region to act collectively as a Caribbean community, noting that no single country, institution, or agency can achieve the transformation alone.

“We must strengthen partnerships across ministries, with the CXC, with teacher education institutions, with the private sector and with development partners. A final charge… to exercise critical judgment in this digital age. We must be critical adapters and co-creators of solutions that reflect our context, safeguard our sovereignty and serve our people,” she said.