For many years now the Barbados government has consistently emphasized the importance of education and health in the allocation of its resources. Together these two account for over 40% of the country's annual budget.
This strong emphasis on education has resulted in a literacy rate estimated at about 98% - one of the highest in the world.

The Barbados Government pays the cost of education of Barbadian students at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. This includes provision of textbooks at the primary and secondary levels.

There are many public and private institutions on the island providing tertiary education but the main institution in this area is the University of the West Indies (UWI),which was  originally set up as a college of Oxford University, UK, but is now a full fledge university.

The UWI comprises three main campuses spread across the Caribbean - Cave Hill (Barbados), St. Augustine (Trinidad) and Mona (Jamaica). The University offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, diplomas and certificates in areas such as the humanities, management, accounting, international business, science and technology, computer science, engineering, education, medicine, law and agriculture.
The UWI maintains strong partnerships with universities in the U.K., U.S.A, and Canada, including Oxford, John Hopkins and McGill. 
For more information, go to http://www.barbados.gov.bb/education.htm.