ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC)—Antigua and Barbuda has launched a new tertiary institution that the government says forms part of the example of the all inclusive education revolution taking place in the country.

The country’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne said that the launch of the Antigua and Barbuda College of Advanced Studies (ABCAS), is “a deliberate strategy by my administration to ensure that we have an inclusive and progressive society.

“We understand that in order to ensure inclusion, we must provide an entry point for every single Antiguan and Barbudan to improve his skill, or for that matter, to improve his educational standing.”

The ABCAS followed the approval of legislation earlier this year by Parliament that led to the amalgamation of three post-secondary educational institutions, namely Antigua State College, Antigua Barbuda International Institute of Technology and Antigua and Barbuda Hospitality Training Institute, which have all now been renamed.

Another institution, the Harrison Centre Antigua and Barbuda Institute of Continuing Education, is also expected to be part of the amalgamation.

Browne said that his administration has spent millions of dollars on the education sector and that it is determined to stamp out illiteracy and upskill citizens and residents.

Browne said the investments being made in educating the citizenry are to ensure that the population becomes the most skilled and best educated anywhere globally and that it is necessary for Antiguans and Barbudans to rise to the occasion and capitalise on the educational opportunities that are available.

He said in addition to scholarships being offered by friendly countries, the government is also supporting students attending local educational institutions that are now under the umbrella of ABCAS as well as regional and international tertiary institutions.

But Browne told the ceremony that there must be determination on the part of the people to go beyond secondary level education, adding a culture of self-development is paramount.

“There must be this desire to go on to improve your skills, to improve your intellectual standing, as we seek to become a more competitive country and at the same time, to ensure that our people can satisfy their self-actualisation needs,” he said, reiterating a goal of his administration that over the next decade, at least 40 per cent of the population should possess at least a first degree and with the establishment of ABCAS, the probability of achieving that goal is greater.

“When you add ABCAS, we can now say that within the next 10 years, at least 50 per cent of the population should have at least a college or university degree,” Browne said, adding that will contribute in a major way to nation building.

“I’d rather have a nation with qualified surplus persons and skilled persons, than a nation with individuals who are illiterate, unskilled and individuals that are involved in crime and violence,” Browne said, adding that he is confident that the country’s future looks bright and with the continued development of key sectors.

In his address to the ceremony, Education Minister Daryll Matthew called on all stakeholders to adapt to the changes aimed at improving the delivery of tertiary-level education in Antigua and Barbuda.

“By bringing these institutions together, we create something bigger, better. Administrators will worry about timing, integration of systems, budgets and so forth. But I say to you that these ought not to be viewed as obstacles, but they are challenges to us that we need to ensure are appropriately overcome,” Matthew said.