This paper argues that language and education are so intricately intertwined that the failure to give adequate recognition to the role of language in promoting effective education systems has worked to the detriment of institutionalized education. It suggests that a revised vision would require that conscious attention be paid to matters of a linguistic nature. These are encapsulated in a discipline called educational linguistics, which explores the many complex links between language and education. The need is particularly acute in the "Anglophone" Caribbean. Finally, some basic prerequisites for the Caribbean are set out.