CDB Approves USD24.1 mn Education Project in Saint Lucia

The Board of Directors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has approved USD23.4 million (mn) in financing for a project, which aims to strengthen Saint Lucia’s education system to better address the needs of diverse learners.

The Saint Lucia Education Quality Improvement Project (EQuIP) will support the enhancement of mechanisms and capacity for improved planning, leadership and delivery of education services; the rehabilitation, renovation and/or expansion of physical infrastructure at various education levels; and institutional strengthening and capacity building.

Daniel Best, Director of Projects, CDB notes: “We are committed to working with the Government of Saint Lucia to invest in improving access to quality education for all. This Project responds to the island’s most pressing needs in the education sector, and builds on our four decades of successful partnership with the Government and people of Saint Lucia.”

EQuIP aligns with the Government of Saint Lucia’s Education Sector Development Plan (2015-2020), and will:

• improve the teaching and learning environment across the country through the expansion and rehabilitation of five schools;
• enhance quality, relevance and instructional effectiveness by providing training for 25 teacher educators and 375 teachers in specific areas of need;
• improve leadership and operational effectiveness by providing training for workers across the education system, including 120 principals and education officers;
• conduct a climate vulnerability assessment of project schools and develop prototype guidelines for use in climate vulnerability assessment of schools nationally;
• enhance special needs education by assessing what institutional and infrastructural improvements are needed to provide quality education and equitable access to children with special educational needs (SEN).

Loan financing for EQuIP is complemented by a grant of USD740,000 to the Government of Saint Lucia, which also includes an allocation from resources provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB) to CDB under the EIB Grant Facility for Climate Action Support. The Government of Saint Lucia will contribute USD4.9 mn to the Project.

The Project supports CDB’s Saint Lucia Country Strategy Paper (2013-2016), which prioritises improving the efficiency of social and economic infrastructure on the island. It is also consistent with the Bank’s strategic objective of supporting inclusive and sustainable growth and development as outlined in its Strategic Plan 2015-2019.