Education in Trinidad and Tobago

Vision 2020 Action Plan

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has given education a prominent place in its Vision 2020 Action Plan. Initiatives have been launched to triple the number of students having access to tertiary education, and to facilitate the development of a tertiary education sector that will enable the population to meet and surmount the challenges of life in the twenty – first century.

School System

Education is compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 12. Primary schooling, where children 5 to 11 years old are enrolled, includes 2 preparatory ("infant") grades and 5 "standard" grades, with children starting at age 4 or 5 and some 4 year olds entering directly into the first grade. The secondary school system is divided into 2 cycles: a first cycle lasting 5 years for children and youth 11 to 16 years of age, for which graduates receive the Caribbean Examinations Council Secondary Education Certificate, and a second cycle lasting 2 years, whose graduates receive the General Certificate of Education Advanced "A" Level or the new Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination.

Secondary education can be acquired either through traditional academic instruction or via a more diversified curriculum including technical and vocational studies.

Tertiary Education

Higher education is provided through a variety of institutions, including the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine campus, the University of Trinidad & Tobago (UTT), the University of the Southern Caribbean, the National Institute for Higher Education, Research, Science, and Technology (NIHERST), technical colleges, teachers' colleges, and a range of private tertiary institutions.

At the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, Bachelor's degree programs generally require three years of study, except in medicine, which takes six years, and law, where only the first year of instruction is available at St. Augustine. Master's degree programs are also available and typically require two years of study (three years for medicine) beyond the Bachelor's degree. Doctoral programs generally require an additional three years of study beyond the Master's level. In addition to the programs offered at the university, a large number of non university educational institutions, both public and private, offer courses leading to the National Technician Certificate. Higher education offered through NIHERST is provided in four main teaching divisions and leads to an Associate degree, a Diploma, or a Certificate. Non university tertiary studies include colleges and institutions providing instruction in teacher education, agriculture, forestry and fishery, technical and information technology, management and banking, languages, nursing and healthcare, and theological education.

The academic year lasts from September to July, and the entire month of August is a time of vacation.