Known for the Carnival, calypso, soca, chutney and being one of the most bio-diverse nations in the Caribbean, education in Trinidad and Tobago is also what should be known about the country.

The education system is a system that Trinidad and Tobago take very serious and place at high priority. Until the twentieth century, education was only for the exclusive to be able to study abroad and then hold a political and economic role in society. Education programs were not available until they expanded after the emancipation where there were teacher –training programs that started in 1852 following with the first public secondary institution in 1925.

The public school program was modeled after the British system which was configured in the twentieth century. The last to benefit in the country was the East Indian population due to their lower socioeconomic status. However, due to the implementation of the educational system, Education in Trinidad and Tobago became known as one of the most academically motivated groups on the islands.

With the government sponsoring the public schools, private denomination institutions were created to teach cultural, religious, and traditional knowledge. Eventually there was the evolution to include, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Muslim, and Hindu institutions that were implemented into the private and public schools. The Ministry of Education authorized the government and assistance from the public to fund the denomination schools while the private schools were controlled by religious groups and financed by public funds. While funding was different, the curriculum remained the same and students who could pass the admission tests attended for free.

http://countrystudies.us/caribbean-islands/43.htm

The education system has it arranged so there is the primary, secondary, upper secondary, and tertiary. The ages range from five to ten and eleven to fourteen for primary and secondary. For upper secondary, the grades are from ninth to tenth and tertiary is post-secondary schooling. Concerning the secondary, after students receive their education certificate, they may remain at school for two more years and attain a Caribbean advanced proficiency certificate and begin a tertiary education. Trinidad and Tobago also offer undergraduate educations for free as well which include: the University of Trinidad and Tobago and the University of the Southern Caribbean.

https://www.classbase.com/Countries/Trinidad-and-Tobago/Education-System

Education in Trinidad and Tobago is made accessible by the government and also with soft loans to fund any aspect of their tertiary education through the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education’s Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP). HELP was initiated in 2006 and is for tertiary-level studies for those who are local and in the region. In addition to the loans, there are the overseas scholarships. The government initiative provides undergraduate students who achieve a First Class Honours Degree from a local accredited university a full government scholarship to pursue up to a PhD anywhere in the world.

 To add, the national literacy level was at 74 percent and increased to 95 percent while also amplifying the academic and vocational programs. The education program is grooming approximately 2,500 students from Trinidad and Tobago that enter the U.S to attend undergraduate and graduate programs with the top fields of study being Business, Engineering, computer science, graphic art, and physical and life sciences.

https://photos.state.gov/libraries/port-of-spain/223843/PDFs/EDUCATIONAL%20SYSTEM%20T_amp_T%202011.pdf

With education being looked at as a means of upward mobility in the country, there was only so much success to meet the needs of society. Education in Trinidad and Tobago is taking the necessary steps to provide and exceptional education system for the students by providing 55,000 laptops to students and 4,500 to teachers. They are also developing special needs centers with educations psychologists, behavioral psychologists and clinical psychologists to care for the children. With that they have the intent to improve literacy, numeracy, and academic performance. The Ministry of Education wants to positively make the country a progressive, democratic, and developed nation.