Dominica Best Colleges and Universities

Dominica Education Facts

Training

The school system is organized according to the British model. The state school is free of charge and schooling is compulsory from the age of five and ten years onwards. However, many children do not complete schooling. Reading and writing skills are just over 90 percent.

The basic stage covers seven years and is followed by a five-year extension phase. The last two years at the higher level are not compulsory and they are charged with a fee which prevents children from poor families from studying further.

  • COUNTRYAAH: Country facts of Dominica, including geography profile, population statistics, and business data.

At Dominica there is a teacher’s college and a nursing education. Higher studies can also be conducted remotely at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica.

Two privately owned medical colleges are on the island. However, these are not part of the national education system, but lock students in, especially North American universities.

For studies at foreign universities, the government grants a number of scholarships each year.

FACTS – EDUCATION

Proportion of children starting primary school

95.6 percent (2016)

Number of pupils per teacher in primary school

13 (2016)

Public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP

10.5 percent (2015)

Public expenditure on education as a percentage of the state budget

10.5 percent (2015)

Mass Media

Freedom of the press is guaranteed in the constitution and the media can work without restrictions. However, the law makes it possible to prosecute journalists for slander, which has been used by the government on several occasions.

There is no daily newspaper. Every week a few news magazines are published with small editions, including The Sun and The Chronicle. The Sun is also available in an internet version. Other domestic news portals on the web are dominicanewsonline.com, dominicavibes.dm, thedominican.net and dominicagazette.com. On the Caribbean site caribbeannewsnow.com there is a tab for news about Dominica.

A state radio station broadcasts programs in English and in the country’s Creole language (see Population and Languages). There are two private radio channels. The country lacks national TV. A local company broadcasts cable TV that reaches 95 percent of the island.

FACTS – MASS MEDIA

Percentage of the population using the internet

70 percent (2017)

Number of mobile subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

106 (2018)

Dominica Best Colleges and Universities