PM Friday Calls for Garifuna Language to be taught as an Essential Subject in Schools 

By S.Browne. Updated 4:10 p.m., Friday, March 13, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday has called for the Garifuna language to be taught in schools in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as an essential subject.

Speaking at the Garifuna Conference at the Global Campus of the University of the West Indies on March 11, 2026, Prime Minister Friday said greater recognition and support must be given to the Garifuna language locally.

“The Garifuna language, recognised by UNESCO as a cultural heritage, must be revived and developed here,” the Prime Minister said.

Friday acknowledged that some teaching of the language is already taking place in schools and social organisations.

“The current efforts to teach the language in our schools and social organisations are commendable. They point the way forward, but it is time to do more,” he said.

He added that the language should form a central part of the country’s traditions.

“We must teach it in our schools as an essential subject if we are to achieve the desirable goal of making it a central part of our traditions for future generations,” Friday said.

The Prime Minister also called for the promotion of Garifuna arts and traditions as part of efforts to reclaim the nation’s heritage.

“Our identity as a nation is incomplete without Garifuna being an explicit part of it,” he said.

END