Antigua & Barbuda is a small state of the Commonwealth with a population of around 90,000. Literacy rates and enrolment in primary and secondary education are high. Antigua & Barbuda is an active participant in COL’s regional activities and meetings in the Caribbean, and is a member of the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth. 

School-age Population by Education Level1

6,970

 

7,510

Secondary

 

Tertiary

 

 

Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Secondary Education
for the school year ending 20181

109.1%

 

113.3%

Female

 

Male

 

 

Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Tertiary Education
for the school year ending 20121

34.3%

 

15.3%

Female

 

Male

 

 

Percentage of female teachers in 1

73.1%

 

54.3%

Secondary (2018)

 

Tertiary (2012)

 

 

1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in March 2020

 

Literacy rate (2012)1

99.4%

 

98.4%

Adult (15+) literacy rate
Female

 

Adult (15+) literacy rate
Male

 

 

Economic Activity (2014)1

n/a

 

n/a

Adult (15+) economic activity
Female

 

Adult (15+) economic activity
Male

 

 

Political Decision Making (2013)1

11%

Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament

 

 

Life expectancy (2012)1

77

 

73

Female

 

Male

 

 

1. COL gender country profile June 2017 

 

25.2 192.8
Fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1

 

 

  
9.4 50.3
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1 Mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants1

 

 

  
62.4 76
Households with a computer (%)1 Individuals using the internet (%)1

 

 

1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ICT Eye Country profile, retrieved in March 2020

Highlights

The Commonwealth of Learning’s (COL) work in Antigua and Barbuda is primarily in the areas of lifelong learning for farmers, technology-enabled learning and tertiary education, through the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth. 

Lifelong Learning for Farmers

COL’s Lifelong Learning for Farmers (L3F) empowers farming communities through the use of open and distance learning and flexible and blended learning. COL is working with the Agricultural Extension Division and the Support for Women and Youth in Agriculture Project (SWAP), a joint initiative of the Ministry of Social Transformation and Human Resource Development and the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries and Barbuda Affairs, to strengthen the agricultural sector and provide livelihoods for poor and vulnerable women and youth. Learn more about the L3F initiative.

Technology-Enabled Learning

COL’s Technology-Enabled Learning initiative aims to encourage more institutions to integrate technology-enabled learning and OER practices to improve teaching and learning for innovation and skills development. With support from COL, Antigua and Barbuda’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology developed a course on Entrepreneurship Theory at the Caribbean Advanced Professional Examination (CAPE) level. This was an outcome of The Open Textbook Forum, which focused on the development of OER policies and strengthening of open textbook initiatives in the Caribbean region. Learn more about the Technology-Enabled Learning initiative.

Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth

Antigua and Barbuda is a member of the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC). Initiated by and built on the support of Ministers of Education of developing small states of the Commonwealth, VUSSC supports the collaborative development and sharing of open educational resources (OER) to promote learning for sustainable development. Learn more about the VUSSC initiative. 

 

Partners

Partnerships are fundamental to COL’s work. Strategic partnerships allow COL to broaden its reach and engage at global, regional and national levels, while implementation partners support COL’s work in communities and institutions across Commonwealth Member States. Partners include multilateral organisations, regional bodies, national governments, government agencies, foundations, civil society organisations, public and private (not-for-profit) institutions and the private sector.

COL's partners in Antigua and Barbuda include: 

  • Antigua State College
  • Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries and Barbuda Affairs
  • Ministry of Education, Science and Technology