Kambon, AshaBusby, Lancelot2023-11-142023-11-142000CERIS - 642:05https://hdl.handle.net/2139/56234A version of this monograph was published by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and is available at http://www.eclac.cl/publacaciones/PortOfSpain/9/LCCARG609/carg0609This monograph examines the poor and their relationship with the education system in the Caribbean through an analysis of data from poverty assessments in selected Caribbean countries. It posits that education is one of the single most vital elements in combating poverty and that it is a right. The monograph suggests that there is genuine belief in schooling and that it will lead to better opportunities and an improved standard of living. Parents, rich or poor, expect that the education system will provide their children with the basic skills to either continue with their education or pursue a livelihood that will enable them to enjoy a descent standard of living. It reports that some 38 percent of the population in the Caribbean is classified as poor, and that this poverty acts as a constraining factor to access to education and the quality of the education that is received. The generally low performance level of the education system exacerbates the state of poverty. It is concluded, therefore that the education system is failing one group of children more than others—those that are poor—and thus denying them the opportunity to become contributing members of the society, and to achieve the goal of sustainable human development. It is suggested that what is needed is a rescue plan for the education system, which will transform it into a catalyst for genuine social equity. If not, the existing stratification between rich and poor may reinforce, rather than correct, income inequalities and perpetuate the cycle of poverty.enpovertyeducationOther