Trinidad and Tobago are famed for its high literacy levels across the globe. The education system is highly funded and made free for students from pre-school until they get into university. The World Economic Report ranked Trinidad and Tobago’s quality of education among the top fifty across the world. The statistics are impressive; an indication that the country’s government has invested heavily in the education sector. Trinidad and Tobago’s system borrows heavily from the British education system. The curriculum starts with pre-school then primary school from the age of 3 for pre-school and five for primary (Yildirim et al. 27). After 7 years in primary, the students are enrolled in secondary school for a period of 5 years. On completion of secondary school, the students can proceed to any government accredited university or college. Private institutions in Trinidad and Tobago offer education at a fee. The institutions offer financial assistance to the best performing yet financially constrained students. The private institutions aid the handicapped financially by awarding scholarships. The ultimate goal of the education system in the country is to ensure that the students enhance their competitiveness career-wise (James and Freddy 469). The analysis is a comparison between Trinidad and the United States’ education system.
Cultural Characteristics of Trinidad
Trinidad and Tobago is a twin island state located on the Caribbean Island. The locals are referred to as Trinis or Trinidadians. Trinidad is famed for its tropical beaches which are a major tourist attraction site that has seen the country gain an influx of diverse cultures. The variations in culture include that of Indian, African, Chinese, French, Spanish and Caribbean descent. The main language spoken is English. Trinidad is a cosmopolitan country with no major religion. The country has a huge cultural heritage with its music and cuisine being a blend of African, Indian, Chinese, French, Spanish and Caribbean backgrounds (Spiers et al. 92).
Women in Trinidad and Tobago still earn less in comparison to their male counterparts despite the fact that they are equally learned. Trinidad women of African descent enjoy more autonomy than that of women of the Indian descent (Potter et al. 18). These women are the head of the families. Its culture is defined by festivities like the annual carnival festivals. The carnival’s origins are attributed to Trinidad and Tobago. Its citizens prefer steel pan music and calypso. Their marriage values differ depending on the cultures the individuals are from. Intermarriages are prevalent except for those with Indian roots because they are bound by stereotypes on people of color. The Indian marriage system is based on the betrothing of its citizens. Trinidadians live in close-knit families and are technically reserved.
Child rearing is the backbone of the family. The society instills values to the child and is quick to instill discipline when they err. Men bring up boys by training them to be aggressive in nature, respective and macho. However, girls are brought up to believe that they should be physically endowed in order to be successful. Bad behavior in the society is not tolerated as all children are expected to carry themselves with decorum so as not to embarrass their families. The family and guardians play a vital role in ensuring that the students meet their educational objectives. The society has a high regard for learned individuals and so they make vital sacrifices to ensure that their children gain the best educational levels. Status is attached to white collar jobs hence the need to gain academic qualifications.
On the flip side, the citizens of the twin-island countries are habitually non-punctual. They are famed for utterances like ‘in a little bit’ yet, it translates to hours. The locals are a bit reserved. In the less urbanized areas, etiquette is paramount. For instance, greeting people is expected if the individuals are meeting for the first time on that particular day. Salutations are considered as proper sociable skills mandatory for everyone. Etiquette is however biased because men are allowed to be vulgar to their female counterparts. Women lose respect in the society if they decide to reciprocate the vulgarity. The country has a high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate despite the fact that it has an elaborate health care system. The country faces a challenge from the ever-rising drug addiction.
How Social, Political, and Economic Environment Affects People and their Education
The country boasts of elaborate research institutions. Education is mandatory for all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. The education system of Trinidad and Tobago is shaped by its past. In the slavery era, missionaries were in charge of their education. The education levels in the country, therefore, had a strong religious influence. With an influx of different cultures and religions, there was a need to create a comprehensive education system. The country had to drop conventional practices and adopt a system that catered to the needs of the multifaceted society.
A lack of education in previous generations led to the segregation of certain members of the society. The social marginalization and need for status made the residents of the country to prioritize education. The main motivation for attaining education stemmed from the desire to alleviate poverty. The citizens were aware that in order to improve their socio-economic status, they had to eradicate the illiteracy menace. The inability to secure proper health, income, and social amenities was a motivating factor in the improvement of literacy levels (Rowley n.p). The limitations are based on the premise that their state of deprivation would be alleviated by gaining an income. As a consequence of the need to eradicate poverty, the citizens of the country came to the conclusion that education would aid in the equitable and just distribution of resources.
The socio-economic background of an individual has an impact on the learning outcomes of the students (James 69). Poverty denies students opportunities in comparison to their wealthy counterparts. The economically disadvantaged are aware that their economic status will improve as long as education is availed for all. The ever dynamic social and political landscape of the country has impacted the education system courtesy of the introduction of new education policies. The political developments in the society have constantly amended the existing legislation in the education sector (De Lisle et al. 3). The political structure of the country has made an attempt to reform its education system due to the belief that an educated country potentially increases its economic output.
The families, caretakers and the society are expected to be part of basic education mobilization. By stressing the significance of adequate education, students are encouraged to maximize their potential. Social advancement impacts education as it gives students a desire to lead lives like that of their successful counterparts. Political figures in the country have consistently emphasized the need to have high literacy levels. The environment in which people are brought up in either negatively or positively affects education. Albert Bandura’s social theory of learning posits that behavior is acquired or learned through emulation. Students develop cognitively and embrace education is the environment around them advocates for the same (Rosenthal et al. n.p). Societal mobilization enables the governing bodies to easily achieve its educational objectives. By strengthening the citizens’ mobilization, the locals are encouraged to take charge of their education subsequently leading to the development of a culture that values education. The environment created by the authority in Trinidad and Tobago has contributed to the heightened increase in the pursuit of higher education.
Comparison of Educational Systems and Instructional Practices of Trinidad and the United States
Trinidad has broadened its education systems over the last decade to improve both the economic outputs and vocational training. In comparison to the US, Trinidad follows a Caribbean system of assessments and instruction which is similar to the British approach. The rationale behind the similarity is due to the adoption of the Britain education methods since Trinidad was part of the British colonies. Additionally, political figures in Trinidad have facilitated solidarity within the Caribbean university which has helped raise the education standards within the region in its reform agendas which contribute to its economic growth. By the year 2012, the literacy levels among the youth in Trinidad were estimated at 99.58% which indicates that most of the population is literate through the availability of free basic education to the public. The students who advance to tertiary institutions are able to include specialization of the knowledge and skills, which enhances substantial growth. Also, through enhancement of vocational training, the students in Trinidad are able to advance careers in a variety of fields, despite the Caribbean cultural heritage and diversity. The approach differs with that of the United States as it follows a grading system up to the twelfth before the students can advance their education in higher learning institutions.
In Trinidad, students between the ages of 5 and 15 have to undergo compulsory education before choosing whether to continue their education or vocational training. Similar to the United States, both the countries (including Tobago) have the entry age into kindergarten or elementary schooling between age 5 and 6. However, in Trinidad, parents can prepare their children for school after 3 years in which they can learn basics of comprehension and numeracy which helps them to effectively understand and undertake the SEA curriculum. The primary levels have both junior and higher classes of up to 8 years, before proceeding to the tertiary educational institutions. However in the US, for students to advance to higher educational institutions which include colleges and universities, they have to undergo the curriculum of the K-12 which involves twelve grades.
The administration of the exams differs in the two countries, however, differ. Firstly, in the US, the exams are calculated based on average points (GPA) which enable students to qualify or not to tertiary educations institutions. On the other hand, Trinidad has a series of tests which enable the transition from primary to secondary and to the university which include Secondary Entrance Assessments (SEA), Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC). Both the exams are administered by the Caribbean examination council. Before the university, students take a two-year education program in Trinidad which is similar to the O-levels and O-levels in the British system of GCE. Therefore, the scores of the tests are critical in assessing the eligibility of the student in entering tertiary programs in Trinidad while in the US the average of the grades is weighted and computed as a GPA which is used for the admission of students into the universities or colleges.
The value of education, particularly in public institutions differs between the US and Trinidad. Firstly, education programs are catered for by the government up to the undergraduate level of education in the islands of Trinidad and Tobago while in the US it is up to the twelfth grade. Therefore, the number of people able to access education is higher in Trinidad than the US; hence the students have higher literacy skills. However, only specific universities owned by the government are funded such as West Indies University. The high funding and accessibility of public and educational resources enable the learners in the public universities to have more value than the private teaching institutions in Trinidad. However, for the US, the funding is based on the students through grants and scholarships or state-specific programs as initiatives to improve education outcomes.
Lastly, the levels of technology incorporated within the education instruction differ in the two countries. In the US, the curriculum for instruction is embedded in the computer software and taught to children through interactive learning environment between the teachers and students. As a result, the learners develop research skills and critical thinking in exploring their strengths and improvement of their performance. On the other hand, most of the institutions especially in public schools in Trinidad use the books as the primary basis of the instructional approach. Little schools have the initiative of technology inclusion. However, students can choose computer literacy as an additional subject, or study it at a professional level. Therefore, the teachers in Trinidad base their lesson plans on the guidebooks of teachers while in the US the approach is more student-centered and the teacher only plays a facilitative role for the students in their learning.
Reforms in Trinidad Education System
The political figures and faculty of the universities in Trinidad have expressed interest in policy creation to shift the economic investment from petrochemicals and tourism and direct the funds towards increasing access to education. In the reform agenda, the current president Carmona insists that the diversification of education and increasing the number of students in tertiary education will create the necessary skill for the country to grow. Besides, the government has introduced technology-based learning from an early age in the curriculum which aims at increasing the number of tech-savvy people within the country so as to be in-line with Asian and US counterparts. Through the increment of funding and aid by the government to students in a tertiary institution, the administration aims to increase the affordability of the university education which is harmonized in solidarity with other Caribbean horizon schemes. Also, the government organizes for the student's external internships to companies in the US to expose them to developed societies as a way to facilitate growth in the home country. as a result of the reforms, the number of labor force with tertiary education has increased from 7% in 2001 to 13% in 2014. The statistics, therefore, indicate that continued efforts in facilitating access to education will lead to high skills in the country that can incorporate creativity and innovations to drive the country’s economy.
Conclusion
In order to ensure that the education is more elaborate, the government has ensured that the access to the internet and computers is readily available. Students in the country can now learn at their own convenience. The main difference between the US’s education system and that of Trinidad and Tobago is that the latter places more value in public schools rather than private schools. The literacy levels in Trinidad and Tobago are high due to the heavy funding the education system is accorded. The citizens of Trinidad have been conditioned to believe that equitable distribution of resources can only be attained if there are zero illiteracy levels. The country however still needs to empower more women to focus on their education rather than on their physical endowment. The analysis provided a comprehensive comparison and contrast of the education system of the United States and Trinidad. Trinidad and Tobago are on the right track but should work more on improving the quality of education in the country (Noel, pg1). The education system of a country reflects the economic output of that country. The improved capacity for learning created by the Trinidad and Tobago government is commendable. The reforms in the ministry of the education have contributed to the improvement of the knowledge base in the country (Braveboy-Wagner, Jacqueline Anne, pg 2). Since the environment plays a crucial role in the learning process, the society has been continually mobilized to facilitate a proper learning environment.
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