Caribbean Child’s Rights to

Education
Marcia Saunders, Twila Thurston ,
Dana Williams ,and Valentino Stubbs
 Global overview on the issue
• Globally, many children do have access to
education because many challenges which
contributes to it. Human Development Index
or HDI (2013) found countries at the bottom
of HDI list has little to no access to
education.
• The lack of funding in developing countries
which prevents children to receive the proper
education
 Significance
• Global education promotes positive values and
assists students to take responsibility for their
actions and to see themselves as global citizens
who can contribute to a more peaceful, just and
sustainable world
• Newman (2013) stated functions of education are
to transmission of knowledge, create &
disseminate knowledge information, transmission
of cultural values and train individuals for a
career.
 Objectives
• Identify Samms-Vaughn’s Main Points
• Discuss the Educational standards meet the
critique of the CRC articles
• Elaborate on the state of affairs of educational
system in the
• Provide recommendations for improve the
education in the
 Blueprint
• Samms-Vaughn’s Main Points
• Applicable CRC Articles
• Current State of Affairs
• Recommendations for the Improvement of
Education
 Samms-Vaughn’s Main Points
• Father-Absence:
-According to Samms-Vaughan family structure has and affect
on child development including how well the children perform
in school . Samms-Vaughan makes reference to other writers
(Lessing 1970, Biller 1974, Hetherington 1978&1983, Radin
1981and Mott 1994) stating that the absent of a father figure
has a different effect on gender. It states that boys tend to
perform lower in school without a father figure, meanwhile
girls are able perform well even without a father figure.

• The Provision of Education in Jamaica

 Samms-Vaughn’s Main Points
• Educational Attainment
• School Attendance
• Other aspects
• Lack of resources in physical facilities
• The Children
 Samms-Vaughn’s Main Points
• Family Structure:
-In the article Samms-Vaughan talks about family structure
including the role of parent figure affects the child. Statistics was
provided showing that children livings with biological parents
performed better in areas of reading, spelling and arithmetic
compared to children without biological parent and a surrogate
parents Samms-Vaughan states that having both biological or both
surrogate parent figures help a child to feel more emotionally
stable. Also, having both biological or both surrogate parents
figures are the most stable parenting style compared to others.

• Effects of learning
 Samms-Vaughn’s Main Points
• Socio-economic status:
-Based on the article Samms-Vaughan talks about how socio-
economic status can have an affect on child education. This
brings us back to the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems
theory which talks about outside forces having an affect on
child development. Similarly, Samms-Vaughan talks about
some factors such as “political leadership, international trends,
marketing forces and the effect other small developing nations”.

• Parenting
• Recommendations
 Application to CRC Article
• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of child has
three articles which are referred to when speaking on the
Child’s Right to Education in The Caribbean. These
articles include Articles 18, 28 and 29.

• Article 18 (Parents responsibility for child upbringing):

Both parents have common responsibilities for the
upbringing and development of the child. Parents or, as the
case may be legal guardians have the primary
responsibility for the upbringing and development of the
child. The best of the child will be their basic concern.
 Application to CRC Article
• Article 28 ( Education) The child has the right to education; the
State has a duty to make primary education compulsory and free to
all; to take measures to develop different forms of secondary
education and to make this accessible to all children. School
discipline should be administered in a manner consistent with the
child’s human dignity.

• Article 29 (Aims of Education) Education should be directed at

developing the child’s personality and talents; preparing the child
for active life as an adult; fostering respect for basic human rights;
developing respect for the child’s own cultural and national values
and those of others; and developing respect for the natural
environment.
 Application to CRC Article
• Article 18 of the CRC is honored, when there is
a lack of parenting the child is either taken by
social services or my stay with any other
family member. For example a child being
abuse by parent may be taken by social
services and placed in a home for children or a
family member make taken custody of the
child.
 Application to CRC Article
• Article 28 of the CRC was honored by
allowing all children to have access to free
education on primary, secondary and most
recently tertiary level of education. For
example, just this year the tertiary education at
the University of the Bahamas was made free
to all students.
 Application to CRC Article
• Article 29 of the CRC was honored in terms of
working the development of child’s personality, talents
and physical abilities to their fullest potential. This is
done by integrating elective classes such as music,
carpentry, cosmetology, food and nutrition, clothing
and construction, etc which helps the child to develop,
skills and discover new talents. Events such as BAISS
and Q Campbell basketball tournament are also held to
not only encourage friendly competition between
athletes but to help them build their talents in sports as
well.
 State of Affairs
• Education Act
• Resources in education system-health services,
special services, and guidance and lunch
programs
• CRC Report of Caribbean -Corporal
punishment, and Education, Leisure &
Cultural Activities
 Recommendations
• Standard education across Islands
• More physical facilities and trained personnel
Conclusion