Adult Education for the Caribbean People

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The Caribbean people have emerged from the experience of slavery with lots of baggage along the way. One such baggage was in the form of barriers to education. The history of adult education stems way back in the colonial days of the 1700s where slaves experienced their first taste of adult education through the apprenticeship system. With this system, slaves were apprenticed to masters who taught them art or a trade which was also inclusive of reading and writing. (History of Adult Education, n.d.). After the abolition of slavery the slaves were introduced to further education in stages. Looking at the challenges encountered in adult education today, one can identify with the many social, economic and cultural factors of yester-year that is still ever so present, but on a different plateau in today’s society. When I reflect upon adult education I cannot help but remember the old saying ‘give a man a fish and he will have food for a day, teach a man to fish and he will have food for life.’ Adult education provides the human resource drivers with the necessary knowledge that would enable adults to sustain himself, his family and by extension the economy for life. Caribbean people have been enslaved for many years. Even from way back into our history, adults experienced many challenges to be educated. The plantation owners knew the value of education so they went about doing everything in their power to prevent the blacks/slaves from accessing education which was an upward movement of mobility out of slavery. Any slave found reading or writing would be beaten, maimed, or even risk death. Slaves had a voice through their songs, storytelling and cultural observances. When slavery was abolished in 1838, slaves were freed... ... middle of paper ... ...cation Jules, D. (n.d.). ADULT EDUCATION POLICY IN MICRO-STATES: THE CASE OF THE CARIBBEAN. didacusjules.com. Retrieved April 1, 2014, from http://www.didacusjules.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/AEP-MS1.pdf Redman, T. (2012). Women's union leadership in Barbados: exploring the local within the global. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 33(8). Retrieved April 5, 2014, from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=17062619 Services for Citizens. (n.d.). ttconnect.gov.tt. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://www.ttconnect.gov.tt/gortt/portal/ttconnect/CitizenDetail/?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/gortt/wcm/connect/GorTT Web Content/ttconnect/citizen/role/astudent/scholarshipsandfunding Vocational Qualification. (n.d.). National Training Agency. Retrieved April 6, 2014, from http://www.ntatt.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=88&Itemid

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