Education & Health

Buoyed by revenues from the oil and gas industry, education is one of T&T’s strengths. In its “Global Competitiveness Report 2014-15”, the World Economic Forum ranked T&T 44th for the general quality of its education system, 43rd for primary education, 35th for maths and science, and 33rd for its management schools, out of 144 countries. Unsurprisingly, the government has made education a priority, allocating 15% of total spending to the sector in the 2015 fiscal year. Meanwhile, as the prevalence of non-communicable diseases rises, T&T’s public health care system is working to expand services while coping with labour shortages. A move to a National Health Insurance System, in which health care is largely funded by a levy on the working population, is being contemplated by authorities. In the meantime, deficiencies in the public system are likely to generate opportunities for health insurers as wealthier Trinbagonians seek better and faster care.