Tag Archives: Trinidad and Tobago

According to collegesanduniversitiesinusa, Trinidad and Tobago has a long and varied educational history, spanning centuries of change and development. The earliest recorded education in the country was established by the Spanish in 1592, when they created the Colegio de San José de Oruña, a Catholic school for boys. In 1699, the British established their own system of schools in Trinidad, though these were mostly free church schools. In 1825, the British government officially established an educational system in Trinidad with the passing of the Education Act. This act allowed for compulsory education for all children between ages 5 to 12 and provided grants to encourage private schools. By 1845, there were over 100 primary schools throughout Trinidad and Tobago. In 1895, secondary education was introduced with the opening of Queen’s Royal College in Port-of-Spain. This school was followed by other secondary schools including St Mary’s College (1900) and Presentation College (1901). Trinidad and Tobago also saw an expansion of its tertiary educational system during this period with the establishment of several colleges including St Augustine College (1920), University College of the West Indies (1948) and University of Trinidad and Tobago (1964). These institutions provided access to higher education for students from across both countries as well as overseas students. Today, Trinidad and Tobago’s educational system is largely based on that established by the British during their colonial rule. The country has a number of primary, secondary and tertiary institutions providing quality education to its citizens as well as international students from around the world. Trinidad and Tobago is a twin-island republic located in the Caribbean Sea which gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. Since then, it has been a functioning democracy with a two-party system, with the People’s National Movement (PNM) and the United National Congress (UNC) dominating politics. In 2009, Trinidad and Tobago had a population of 1.3 million people and was an upper middle-income country, with oil and natural gas as its primary sources of revenue. During this time, the country was led by Prime Minister Patrick Manning of the PNM who had been in office since 2001. Trinidad and Tobago had strong diplomatic relations with many countries in the region during this period, including Guyana, Suriname, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica and Venezuela. It was also a founding member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in 1973 which aimed to promote regional economic integration among its members. At the international level, Trinidad and Tobago maintained strong ties to its former colonizer Britain as well as to other Commonwealth countries such as Canada and Australia. It also had close relationships with countries such as India through cultural ties due to its large Indian diaspora population. In 2009, Trinidad and Tobago was facing several challenges including high levels of crime due to gang activity as well as rising unemployment rates due to an economic downturn caused by falling oil prices. Despite these issues however, it remained relatively stable during this period thanks to its strong diplomatic ties with other nations in the region. Check naturegnosis for Trinidad and Tobago in 2001.