One of the common threads which run through the reading and rhetoric on education in the English-speaking Caribbean over the last twelve years is the need to structurally relate the education of the region to its socio-economic goals.

One of the common threads which run through the reading and rhetoric on education in the English-speaking Caribbean over the last twelve years is the need to structurally relate the education of the region to its socioeconomic goals. The assumption that education does in fact promote socio-economic development has become highly questionable. This paper is proposing that the translation of perceived national priorities into educational programmes and the implementation of the latter are much more problematic than is usually recognized.