Hon Walwyn fails! Not ready with space for extra High School year
Our sources close to the issue said preparations are being made for the students to be accommodated at the college.
When the news of this decision first hit the streets of the Virgin Islands, it was crystal clear that the decision was not a popular one, neither did it enjoy the support of most parents.
We sought confirmation from the Ministry of Education and Culture and confirming the information that the students will be housed at the college was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Dr Marcia Potter.
Speaking to this news site yesterday, Dr Potter said that while the information was accurate, she said the Minister Honourable Myron V. Walwyn is to make an official announcement on it and hence she did not want to speak before the Minister made his announcement.
Not everyone looking forward to additional school year
For many of those parents it has been a long and well planned out year as they were well ready to see their children move on to college or other higher level of learning. They were, however, left with no choice but to shift those plans for 2017 as with the additional school year there will be no graduation after completing fifth form but rather at the end of completing the sixth form.
Many parents told us over the past months that they were not given an opportunity to study the decision which was just thrown at them. They noted that it would be one more hard year for them as parents.
Discussions were held
"We are not adding sixth form as it is known in other Caribbean countries or the United Kingdom. What we are doing is adding an additional year to the school lifecycle in order to give our students the time needed to complete the curriculum and hence allow them to be ready when they leave the secondary level to go on to tertiary education or the world of work," Minister for Education and Culture Honourable Myron V. Walwyn had said back in September 2014 as he sought to bring clarity to the additional school year.
He had also explained that the initiative within the school system will result in children having thirteen years of schooling instead of twelve, from Kindergarten through Grade 12.
At that time he had said he was aware that there would be some issues that would come with the additional year including space, additional teachers and need for more resources; however, he assured they would have discussed these potential issues and put measures in place to address them.
Hon Walwyn had also said the Ministry of Education and the Department of Education did hold consultations with the public, teachers and principals on the additional year.
‘A Levels, CXC better options’
It was a general census among the parents that a sixth form should have been optional and, like many other sister Caribbean countries where there is sixth form, it should be for 'A' levels. "That's what makes sense. And what would make more sense is for them to cut out the School Leaving Examination and let the kids put all their energies into doing CXC which is a Caribbean examination. School leaving can only get them to HLSCC but CXC can get them anywhere in the Caribbean," opined Ms Delma Gracio-Stevens some months ago.
"With CXC many of them can go further their studies in Guyana, Trinidad, and Barbados. Those countries have top of the line tertiary schools and even CXC gets them in good colleges and universities in the [United] States," added Ms Gracio-Stevens.
Meanwhile, Hon Walwyn in March of this year had disclosed that some 80 additional classrooms for Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS) and Bregado Flax Educational Centre (BFEC) on Virgin Gorda were to be built in time for the September school term.
He, however, complained that he was only given $3M for capital projects in the 2016 budget and it is now clear that the classrooms may not be built in time.
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63 Responses to “Hon Walwyn fails! Not ready with space for extra High School year”
I agree with your position completely:: Additionally, companies go into business and countries to make big,ry big money. The population and its needs are of never a concern. Hence, it is the governments job to measure and scrutnize that fine balance between business, profit and contribution.
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By Joshua D. Copeland
“What if these slavery movies were never for Black audiences to begin with?”
It’s a question one should ask themselves when reliving the painful memories of our ancestors beaten, raped and broken by white slave owners onscreen. Most Black slave films leave us with lessons about how well we can take an a** whipping and survive or that our liberation is in the hands of some compassionate, White savior…
Shortly after BET premiered “Book of Negroes” starring Aunjanue Ellis and Cuba Gooding Jr., WGN America announced their new drama “Underground” about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. They’re even coming out with the animated film “Bilal” about the man who went from slavery to being the voice of Islam…
Hollywood seems adamant on making sure we never forget “where we came from.” But rarely if ever, do they show films about our REAL African history. Why is Hollywood so comfortable with only telling our stories of bondage? Does it have to do with pleasing the majority White audiences?
We’ve been fed the same regurgitated stories of weak and defenseless Africans boarding slave ships and working in cotton and tobacco fields since grade school. So the concern may not be learning what they wantus to know – But to constantly remind us that we were once slaves to keep the enslaved mentality alive.
Greetings!! It should be considered that placing one's entire being into one political party is not a sound "political" practice. For example, if one regards the government as an instrument of change and growth, then the people must elect individuals to government that will strive to deliver the goods and services the people are in need of.
Additionally, what political instrument/party is there in the here and now that have the ability to deliver the leadreship the country needs in the here and now??
Personally, a personal comittment to just one political party is folly. It creats too much sissent amongst the people as is evident amongst the VIP and NDP supporters.
I cast for the most viable and capable party with the most qualified, politically, at the moment in time, the one assumed to get the most done for country and people. Today, thatis the NDP.
If NDP becomes incapable of being a productive political entiy tomorrow, would there be any reason to vote yes for its leadership? Which the VIPis situated at the moment.
The question of "a political party relevance" in the 21st century garners much thought, but it will be a cotroversial topic to throw out now.
The unemployment figures are the worst for 25 years and graduating fifth formers will only swell these figures even more. So, keep them in education, let them hang out at HLSCC and hope tings improve!
The country is not only broke but it has no jobs for the youth to go to. Even qualified persons can't find jobs, once the offshore finance attacks kick in Tola will be a ghost town. Who will switch off the lights?
Things did not work out the way that they were planned. Myron will figure it out. Let the man do his job.
I am getting so tired of all this political rhetoric on “The Hundred Monkey Effect.” If we intend to play and play well in this manufactured consent western system, we must encompass an international (global) scope. It’s time to present facts and proof and not sell us fantasies when it comes to Education Reform and other mechanisms in the Virgin Islands. We need to know which institutions have implemented these measures and what are the correlational matrices and findings? Results!
The fact is, in most cases, all that is required is a little “common sense” approach, like getting back to the fundamentals in Education. What is important, not walls and highly paid consultants. The children need resources, resources, resources; a strong push for more parental support and involvement, possibly a few hours on Saturday for those children who need extra support and others who require the extra practice and/or exposure on grasping the fundamental concepts in Math, English, Science, Health, etc. the children need inclusive and consistent support systems and mentoring programs, early life experience applications programs, etc.
I have presented research to some government ministries and institutions in the past, but have never once heard anything of the information being acknowledged, nor utilized. I presumed because I am a Local who does not wish to laden our people with exorbitant consultant fees, my research is possibly being regarded as irrelevant. So many people in the Virgin Islands are on the take, very-very few are replenishing; at this pace, the consequence is inevitable.
From time to time I present comments on the blogs and seem to get quite a bit of push back and dislikes because my comments might appear to come across as shocking and controversial, which by the way, is the intent. “Because if we don’t start standing for something, we will fall for anything.” The bubble will burst eventually, regardless if we decide to accept it now, or be forced to realize this later. Do we ever intent to proactively engage and involve ourselves in the discourse in which to develop the most effective measures to vigorously “prepared and advance” our young human resources talent pool, or do we wish to be continually dictated too?
I am an Educator, both institutionally trained and self-taught. Self-taught, which I encourage as a strong supplement to what is being taught in the classroom, and one in which I consider to be the best unconditioned education that anyone can pursue for conscious process critical thinking. Common Sense Thinking- the responsibility of an Educator is to water the root of the plant so it grows into a healthy tree and eventually bring forth healthy flowers and/or fruits. Demand More, You Get More.
Noteworthy, I do not get carried away with sensationalized sound bites and spins; I qualify information based on facts, evidences and sound reasoning, and I would hope that we all demand the same. Wake Up People!
Up to now I am still trying to figure out the real motive behind the additional year because the reasons given are so lame :The children need more time to mature , children are too young while we have children in the junior school who are 18 +. What difference will an extra year make. ? The truth is many of our children are not ready for college and will never be ready for college if they don't change their attitude.
I have said it before and I will say it again. Are our children in the BVI retarded ? How is it that every other country in the Caribbean is having their children write CXC after 5 years but we need an extra year. And the fact is many of them are writing 8, 9,10 subjects at the end of 5th form and then they move on to a real 6th form to do advanced studies. We are just turning our children into uncompetitive idiots.
And the truth is CAPE was an afterthought. We have not planned for it properly ! Most institutions run a pilot project and do proper research before they institute a new program such as CAPE. so we are going to be left feeling our way in the dark.
The other problem I saw with the additional year was the accommodation. Nobody will admit but we were already bursting at the seems with the 1400 children that we have.: problems with resources , disciplinary issues etc and we were being forced to accomodate more. Reminds me of bulk production.
Oh and by the way : the high school has never been more insecure than it is now. One can enter the compound from all angles because there are open gaps in the wall and many areas are without the metal rails so anybody can just step over.
My suggestion is urgently address the issue with the wall and delay this additional year until we sit down and property plan for it. Our children should not have to suffer for our incompetence.
And by the way, who is going to teach these children? Will the teachers from the high school have to travel up to the college to teach? Can the college accommodate the students doing subjects such as wood work, metal work, art and craft etc. or will these children have to travel back and forth between the high school and the college?
I see the need for a lot of planning at this stage. I think we need to halt everything until we have a proper plan in place. It may be embarrassing but we all make mistakes and we shouldn't sacrifice our children for our pride.
They are the same ones who are deceiving the public daily.