Education officials from OECS member countries will meet in Grenada on Friday, 14 September 2007.

 The meeting is being organized by the OECS Education Reform Unit (OERU) as an evaluation of the CIDA-funded Eastern Caribbean Education Reform Project (ECERP). 

During the meeting OECS education officials, including the Minister of Education in Grenada, and senior professionals from the OECS Secretariat will discuss the consultant’s evaluation report.  The project which focused on modernizing the OECS educational systems has produced a number of products for OECS countries, including a model Bill for harmonized education legislation, and accompanying set of education regulations, harmonized grade names and curriculum for the primary school and lower secondary school. A code of ethics for teachers, as well as an appraisal scheme for teachers, has been developed.  Principals will benefit from a desk manual and a collection of case studies that will help them in their day to day school leadership.

The project has also supported the development of several guidelines on the use of information technology in schools and a documentation centre for education, located at the OERU office in St. Lucia.

The OERU through the Eastern Caribbean Education Reform Project has conducted three major research studies on education in the OECS: a student attitude survey, a research on teachers’ work and a study on discipline in schools.  The results of these studies have been used in the development of resources, such as a guidance counsellors’ handbook and a harmonized discipline policy.

The meeting in Grenada will use the opportunity to express gratitude to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for providing financial support for education in the OECS countries over the past decade through this project.  The OERU also expresses thanks to the hundreds of participants across the OECS – officers of the Ministry of Education, principals, teachers and educators from the colleges and the UWI for the tremendous collaborative effort that has made the project a success. 

It is expected that the meeting will formulate plans to continue innovation in education so that the people of the OECS will become better prepared for the OECS Economic Union.