Minister Blackman pledges “all hands on deck” approach as education reform continues

Minister of Educational Transformation Senator Chad Blackman has started consultations with key stakeholders as the country presses ahead with a revamp of its education system.

In just three weeks since his appointment, Minister Blackman has met with all primary school principals and three teachers’ unions.

“All of us in the education ecosystem have to chart forth a new territory and it would require all hands on deck,” Blackman stated during Tuesday’s Senate debate on the 2025/2026 Budgetary Proposals.

He stressed his openness to dialogue, promising to engage parents and students through videos and other platforms to gather their input.

A key focus of the transformation is the planned abolishment of the Common Entrance Exam. Blackman pledged transparency, assuring the public, “I commit to the public to walking with you to ensure that we can now transition into a new mode, from primary to secondary and believe you me, the country will be able to have a clear and well-settled position on where we are going as well.”

The former minister of economic affairs and investment declared intentions to position Barbados’ education sector as a global leader.

He told the Upper House the plans include a redesign of the layout of classrooms, the creation of rooms for specialised topics, and upgraded bathroom facilities.

Blackman added that a pilot project to digitise textbooks will be launched this year, with a full rollout expected by the 2026/2027 academic year. In addition, there will be improved signage on school plants and a new Barbados School and Safety Security Policy.

Minister Blackman also outlined a vision for students to become multilingual, industrious, and confident communicators. He announced a partnership with the National Cultural Foundation to integrate arts and music into the curriculum in “a non-traditional way.”

“As you come into school from the pre-primary to primary to secondary, before your class you should be exposed to a Bajan playlist of music composed by our best artists, our new upcoming musicians, in Bajan spouge and jazz. Music that is soothing, so we are not talking about the high beats per minute, genres like the bashment music – no, there is a place for that. What I am talking about is a fusion of Bajan jazz and Bajan spouge with messages of affirmation that are very calming,” Blackman explained.

“It allows for the school environment before class starts to be calm and soothing and calms and helps teachers and students, and it also incorporates our national treasure- our musical identity- into our national consciousness and DNA at an early age.. Therefore in the deconstruction of the educational model of the old, the new model has to now look and reflect who we are on a day-to-day basis.”

He stressed the importance of catering to diverse learning abilities, asserting, “Barbados must now work towards being the number one education system in the world.”

(JB)