St. Kitts and Nevis PM Terrance Drew announces plans to boost education sector

St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Terrance Drew indicated in The Roundtable on Monday, January 7, 2025, that his government has made a significant increase in the allocation for resources for education, be it in terms of funds or opportunities. The move is aimed at making education accessible across all levels – from pre-school to tertiary. 

The island-nation continues to make solid investments to ensure that its people are empowered with the knowledge and skills to succeed. 

The Drew-led government, which has devised plans for a comprehensive development of St. Kitts and Nevis, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to serve education as a fundamental pillar for the nation’s progress.

Budget allocation for education has gone up

While St. Kitts and Nevis’s budget allocation for education in 2023 was EC$93 million, it was increased to EC$97 million last year. 

Dr Drew, who touched upon various issues during the interaction with media in the first Roundtable of 2025, said while secondary and college education is free, pre-school education is free for some and partially subsidized for others. 

“St. Kitts and Nevis can boast that education is accessible for our young people,” he said.  

The rise in budget allocation also facilitates initiatives that aim to help citizens and residents reap the benefits of tertiary education. Under these come broadened financial assistance for economic expenses and a goal to ensure that St. Kitts and Nevis Development Bank gives positive support for education. 

The Drew-led government has also come up with programmes to boost entrepreneurs, recognizing a critical link that exists between education and economic empowerment. For instance, the Small Business Facility is designed to give financial backing and opportunities to entrepreneurs trying to earn a name. The programme is funded by the government through the St. Kitts and Nevis Development Bank. 

Drew said the government is expanding small ventures to allow access to more people. He added that many people have already benefited from the initiative and it will continue to create opportunities for the citizens of the Caribbean nation. 

Game-changing ASPIRE programme

The government launched the ASPIRE (Achieving Success through Personal Investment, Resources, and Education) initiative in the latter half of 2024 to educate young people about financial literacy. Some of the key skills that the programme teaches are managing money, budgeting, and beginning a small venture. It also guides participants to build wealth from a young age. 

Drew said money has been allocated for the programme which aims to benefit more than 10 million young people.  

“The only place in the Caribbean, and I think in the Western Hemisphere…you will realise that we have this programme as a programme that is only in Saint Kitts and Nevis, where young people get an account where they save and they will be able to buy shares into companies,” he said. 

The PM added that the youngsters learn to accumulate wealth even before they exit school.

St. Kitts and Nevis’s ties with US university 

In another edition of The Roundtable in October 2024, PM Drew thanked Southern University and A&M College in Louisiana, United States, for forging partnerships with St. Kitts and Nevis that created valuable scopes for the people of the Caribbean nation in fields such as education and agriculture.

The prime minister’s words of appreciation came following his tour of the American university earlier the same month when he engaged with top officials of the institution to enhance its educational collaborations with St. Kitts and Nevis. 

Increasing scholarship opportunities for students

In August 2023, PM Drew emphasized in yet another edition of The Roundtable that the government continued to broaden opportunities for students through scholarships and other financial incentives to ensure that they fulfil their academic potential. Asserting that his Labour government made efforts to increase the number of scholarship opportunities for students, Drew said that the number of scholarships to the Republic of China (Taiwan) was increased and there were other scholarships. 

He said there the Ministry of Sustainable Development gave a scholarship which benefited people in areas of advanced training. He said scholarships were also increased in other fields to drive home the point that his government was ready with all help when it comes to improvements in the field of higher education.