WATCH: MP Lewis Has Heated Exchange With PM Browne Over Education Reform

Tempers ran high during the 2026 Budget Debate in Parliament on Monday afternoon as Members of Parliament in the Lower House delivered their responses to the Prime Minister’s budget statement.

In his presentation, Richard Lewis, MP for St John’s Rural West, expressed criticism of the government’s current strategy for teaching essential subjects such as English and Mathematics. He emphasized his belief that this approach is causing the nation to lag behind regional standards.

“As it stands now, our students are not getting the opportunity to do the best that they can do and to be the best that they can be”, said Lewis. “And this is borne out in the C-SEC results over the past several years…8 out of every 10 students do not meet the matriculation standards.”

“The regional average is 44% for 2025…44% across the region pass five or more subjects, including Math and English. We are at 19.5% for 2025.”

During the usual cross-aisle discussions, the MP appeared to be offended by what he referred to as the PM’s “nonchalant attitude” regarding the topic at hand.

Although such exchanges are common in Parliamentary debates, Lewis appeared especially frustrated by what he viewed as the Prime Minister’s casual attitude towards what he refers to as “serious business.”

According to data provided by local CXC registar Dr. Myrick Smith, Antigua’s maths pass rate was 31.5%, well below the regional average of 38% – a situation that Smith describes as “not comfortable”.

To address the shortfall, the Caribbean Examinations Council will introduce a modular approach to mathematics in June 2026, where students will complete the exam in three parts—from third to fifth form instead of taking the entire syllabus in fifth form.