The Policy of Universal Secondary Education: Its Influence on Secondary Schooling in Grenada

Abstract

In an era of increasing access to secondary education in the Caribbean, it becomes critical that we understand the effect that Universal Secondary Education (USE) has had on our education systems in order to inform current educational reform efforts and future educational planning. This study explores the experience of the country of Grenada with the policy of USE. The study embraces the use of mixed methodologies which included document analysis, surveys and interviews in eight secondary schools throughout the tri-island state. The study builds on previous works and contributes to a greater understanding of how policies, such as USE, can create challenges for secondary schooling if not effectively managed. The findings reveal that the implementation of USE in Grenada was challenged by literacy weaknesses and poor teacher support, and impacted school organisational practices, as well as risk factors to educational success, such as student retention, student dropout, and student discipline in schools. The findings also establish the need for further study into the practice of students' non-attendance of classes as being related to USE.