The inclusion of Social studies as a part of general education in the secondary school curriculum derives from the assumption that adequate provision should be made for enabling students to gain the knowledge and skills of effective social participants.

Effective social participation should:

• Be based on accurate and relevant information about a particular issue or set of issues;
• Be sensitive to values;
• Be informed by a sense of commitment to the development of the community;
• Stem from a deliberate choice of ways and means to accomplish a clearly perceived objective.

Social Studies also contributes to the effective development of the learner by increasing personal and social awareness, and by placing emphasis on values as well as on social and interpersonal relationships.  In addition, it introduces students to concepts from the various social science disciplines and enables them to recognise the significance of these experiences as they seek to understand more about themselves and the complex social relationships of which they are a part.  An interpretation of this kind makes the social studies programme not only relevant to the learners but also facilitates the smooth transition of the student from secondary to tertiary education and the wider society.

This syllabus seeks to ensure that students develop the necessary skills and to introduce them to such knowledge of social phenomena as may enhance their effectiveness as social participants in the Caribbean community.  It is also intended that through the syllabus the process of valuing should be made conscious so that the valuers become aware of their position, thus enabling them to bring conscious criteria to bear on their choices as social participants.

Although the main focus of the syllabus if the Caribbean, opportunities have been provided for the treatment of international issues which have a bearing on Caribbean development.

The syllabus is designed to assist the student to:

• Understand himself/herself as a social being, his/her relationships with his/her family, community, nation/state, the Caribbean region and other parts of the world;
• Appraise critically the prevailing societal attitudes, norms and values;
• Use coherent and conscious processes as the principal means of arriving at decisions;
• Develop commitment to, and skills in, social participation and social action.

The syllabus content is organised into three major sections as follows:

• Section A: Individual Interaction
  • Individual and Family
  • Individual and Society
• Section B: Development and Use of Resources
• Section C: Options
  • Communication
  • Consumer Affairs
  • Tourism

The options are intended to give students the opportunity to apply the skills and concepts learned in the study of Sections A and B of the syllabus to specific social phenomena in contemporary society.