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'I have a vision' for education- Hon de Castro

-Education Minister opened 2024 school year with moving poem
Minister for Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, Honourable Sharie B. de Castro delivered a unique address during Professional Day 2024 on August 26, 2024, where instead of the normal speech, the educator turned government minister delivered a powerful poem detailing her vision for the Virgin Islands’ (VI) education system. Photo: Ronnielle Frazer/GIS
Educators at the 2024 Professional Day, were privy to Education Minister, Hon Sharie B. de Castro's poem, 'I have a Vision' where they were called to action to help transform education. Photo: Ronnielle Frazer/GIS
Educators at the 2024 Professional Day, were privy to Education Minister, Hon Sharie B. de Castro's poem, 'I have a Vision' where they were called to action to help transform education. Photo: Ronnielle Frazer/GIS
Education Minister, Hon Sharie B. de Castro also said her vision entailed a revised curriculum that finds balance between traditional and technical vocation, erasing stigmatisation and dismantling mass production of the same professions. Photo: Ronnielle Frazer/GIS
Education Minister, Hon Sharie B. de Castro also said her vision entailed a revised curriculum that finds balance between traditional and technical vocation, erasing stigmatisation and dismantling mass production of the same professions. Photo: Ronnielle Frazer/GIS
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- Minister for Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, Honourable Sharie B. de Castro (AL) delivered a unique address during Professional Day 2024 on August 26, 2024, where instead of the normal speech, the educator turned government minister delivered a powerful poem detailing her vision for the Virgin Islands’ (VI) education system.

Hon de Castro said it is her belief that it is important to reassess and rejuvenate at the beginning of the school year.

Hon de Castro in her poem, ‘I have a vision’, described herself a proud product of Virgin Islands education, she however said over the years, the VI has lost sight of the value of education.

“[It is] evidenced by a continuous decrease in budget allocation. We’ve surrendered the notion that education is extricably linked to the economy of a nation and if I’m allowed to be brutally honest…we’ve watered down the profession. We’ve lowered the standard of entry into the vocation,” she admonished.

A mission with a vision to reimagine education

Hon de Castro through her words of poetry said the VI is on a mission to “reimagine education” and she has a vision for education’s future in the V.I.

“I have a vision, from knowledge wrote and memorisation to skills like critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and innovation. I envision an education system that fosters inclusion, that sees the ambition of every child despite evaluation, that identifies gaps and giftedness with the same precision.”

The Education Minister also said her vision entailed a revised curriculum that finds balance between traditional and technical vocation, erasing stigmatisation and dismantling mass production of the same professions.

Students will be equipped to become creators of industry

This reimagined curriculum will also see students being not only users of technology but acquire skills to become creators of industries she added.

“From the introduction of S.T.E.A.M innovations in the lower secondary to the expansion of robotics and coding in upper secondary we have answered the call of our students to continue to nurture their curiosity and ingenuity through a focus on digital literacy and innovation.”

According to Hon de Castro her vision for VI education also includes school infrastructure that fosters a “culture of conduisive learning” with modern, smart and green buildings that create and environment for effective teaching, and tools needed for functionality prioritising the resources teachers need to diversify instruction.

“I have a vision that was birthed out of your bosom through stakeholder consultations. We have laboured together to deliver an education system that will nurture the dreams of our future. I have a vision that continues to face opposition yet with perseverance and determination we continue to move full S.T.E.A.M ahead with conviction, carrying the hopes and aspirations of future generations, educators this is your call to action,” Hon de Castro stated.

This year’s Professional Day was held under the theme ‘Virgin Islands Education: Moving Full S.T.E.A.M Ahead’.

31 Responses to “'I have a vision' for education- Hon de Castro”

  • KT (27/08/2024, 12:37) Like (55) Dislike (6) Reply
    Get contact lenses cuz so far we haven't seen any progress with you. Only excuses and travelling
    • @KT (27/08/2024, 15:52) Like (8) Dislike (14) Reply
      what did Myron do? nothing but victimize those who did not support him and played politics with the education system
      • Ungrateful (28/08/2024, 05:52) Like (11) Dislike (4) Reply
        Made CXC mandatory
        Made a 6th year so that the lil slower ones have more time to earn points towards graduation rather than just fail and need to go get GED.
        Boosted the productivity and perception of the technical school.
        Directly engaged with the private sector to try and get youths recruited and employed
        I mean you may not like the guy but you got to admit he did a lot more than Sharie. Facts are facts and stats are stats at the end of the day.
        • @ ungrateful (28/08/2024, 07:22) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
          All poperganda the only thing he did was the six form which was so controversial it's now a bad Oman so wheel and come again

          You think we forget the teachers parties ( now he got the gall to talk about the premier) millions and millions to his friends and self?
          • @@Ungrateful (28/08/2024, 11:25) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
            I will Leave this here for those of us that have short memories. Long story short you cant compare Sharie to Myron as a public servant its night and day. All now he offering free notary services to his constituents the man is infinitely more useful than Sharie. Remove your personal bias for 2 minutes and look at facts. Tell me then what Sharie stats are?

            https://www.virginislandsnewsonline.com/en/news/cxc-or-no-cxc

            https://www.virginislandsnewsonline.com/en/news/several-persons-hired-on-spot-at-job-fair-min-walwyn-

            https://www.bvibeacon.com/minister-tech-school-to-open-in-time-for-school-year/
  • Migoman (27/08/2024, 12:39) Like (47) Dislike (5) Reply
    I have q vision to vote you and the wheatley team out
  • Nightmare (27/08/2024, 12:43) Like (27) Dislike (2) Reply
    Of shoveling out mud from flooded new school!
    • @ Nightmare (27/08/2024, 15:53) Like (4) Dislike (9) Reply
      well it means the 2million wall that the tall man is in court for did not work BAM
  • DWL LMFAO (27/08/2024, 13:09) Like (16) Dislike (0) Reply
    Again? What happen to the other ones?
    • @DWL LMFAO (27/08/2024, 14:43) Like (7) Dislike (2) Reply
      Right? I thought she was imagining and re-imagining. Now she giving birth out of her bosom. Does she know what a bosom is? Illiterate or no? Kamala cousin perhaps...
  • Stealth (27/08/2024, 14:02) Like (13) Dislike (0) Reply
    The territory needs a vision, ie, where it is going, the destination, and a holistic mission of how it will approach getting to the vision, the destination. Education is a critical means of approaching the vision. Full STEAM is a nice sounding bite, a skeleton with no little to no meat on the bones. The VI is a tiny, resource-poor locale and human capital is its most important resource. And to attain the most the most important resource requires active resource planning, investing,etc..The VI must commit to becoming crazy,,dedicated learning nation. It will not become so with talk, ie, flowery language but action. Talk is cheap, money buy land as the saying goes.,Becoming a learning nation must be a cradle to grave effort..Education must start at the Prekindergarten, kindergarten,,primary, secondary, tertiary and beyond. Furthermore,,education planning must be linked to economic planning.,graduates must a like place to live, work and play. Graduates option should not only be emigrating to find a great place to live, work and play.. All TALK and no Action will not cut it ; positive action with effective planning, organizing, directing, controlling, strong leadership and management, etc will..Let’s start with a little SWOT ( Strength, Weakness, Opportunity,Threat)
    • @ STEALTH (28/08/2024, 07:58) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
      Good comments, except for the part about BVIs being resource poor. If we are resource poor, it is because the public purse has been squandered away without any one ever been brought to account. It is not because we’re a rural agricultural based economy. I for one wholeheartedly agree that the top priority of any nation should be education but here we’d rather build a wall around a school, spend a million on an elevator for the admin building that was poorly designed to begin with, and politicians vote themselves money through the greed bill. Schools are still damaged from Irma, only 7 years ago. Why aren’t we fixing them so they are environments that kids want to go to? There’s only one answer, and that it is because education is not important enough to politicians, and has not been for decades, and voters aren’t pushing back either on this issue. Ms DeCastro is totally spot on. Surely a future of having the Territory run competently by locally well educated professionals would be better than what we have now.
      • Stealth (28/08/2024, 12:52) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        @Stealth,,appreciate the feedback. Often times, people either hit the like or dislike button. I still maintain that the VI is a resource-poor locale..Other than sand-sea-sun and human capital, the VI has a dearth of natural resources , ie, gold, black gold(oil), minerals, precious metals, etc. It lacks the resources to develop a primary or secondary economy. Instead, it has a service based economy, ie, tourism, financial services.,income and wealth, natural resources are not the same thing. Agree, that the VI is poor in planning, organizing, prioritizing, budgeting,budget execution, investing in infrastructure, social services, human capital; governing, etc.
  • my2cents (27/08/2024, 15:51) Like (2) Dislike (16) Reply
    you all could hate on the good minister all you want but three things you cannot change! She has been the best education minister ever much better than the wall man and the slow one.

    Two she is the only one that has brought changes to the education system with integrity and class
    Three we are voting for her yet again in 2027, so jump high jump low and blog until your fingers fall off it cannot change those facts
    • @my2cents (27/08/2024, 19:15) Like (5) Dislike (1) Reply
      I can’t imagine if you had put in a dollar cause your two cents is dumb. What planet do you live on? She has done NOTHING for the education system
    • Reflect (27/08/2024, 20:06) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
      One person cannot be the govt
  • teacher john (27/08/2024, 16:05) Like (3) Dislike (9) Reply
    Keep your good works up decastro they can't stop progress and talented virgin Islanders
  • Bigss (27/08/2024, 16:20) Like (16) Dislike (4) Reply
    They really need to get rid of this little child playing woman
  • @ @ KT @@ NIGHTMARE &,YOUR 2 CRNTS (27/08/2024, 17:37) Like (0) Dislike (1) Reply
    SAME PERSIN ( WIGO ) THE WAKO / WALWYN GOT YOU PISSED OFF , WITH JEALOUSY HE WAS WAS THE EDUCATION MINISTER / THAT CHIL CANNOT EVEN WALK IN HIS SHADOWS ( NEITHER YOU ) SO YOU CAN SING LIKE THE CANARY YOU ARE , EVERYBODY DONE SEE THROUGH YOUR DISGUISE / ALL YOU DO CRITICIZE THOSE WHO YOU CANNOT CONTROL / AND YOU AIN'T SO SHAME ( LOOKS LIKE ONE AH DEM LIL BOYZ SLIP SOME COKE IN YOU )
    • @@ kt and others (27/08/2024, 19:07) Like (1) Dislike (9) Reply
      I support the minister she a wuk
    • W***** Fahie from zone 6 (27/08/2024, 19:15) Like (5) Dislike (1) Reply

      Ms Fahie you need to stop it and learn to read and write hate against the minister will not help you or Myron

    • @@@@@ reply (28/08/2024, 09:54) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      is that the wako wigo who works at the governor's office or is it Wilma?????
  • WELL , IT LOOKS LIKE (27/08/2024, 17:59) Like (2) Dislike (1) Reply
    THE CHILD " TRYING AH TING " ( MARTIN LUTHER KING HAD A DREAM ) AND SHE'S HAVING " DREAM " WE SURE HOPES SHE WAKES UP SOON •¿• LIKE SINCE SHE WAS GIVEN THAT POSITION , SHE HAS BEEN IN LIMBO
  • Concerned (27/08/2024, 18:12) Like (5) Dislike (1) Reply
    She almost said " I have a dream" this minister needs help and for you all who think she's doing a good job, you're just as bad and that's why the country is in the state it's in. She tried to resurrect the sleeping Watchman by doing her speech as a poem. She has no other idea for a theme so it's still STEAM and now we're reimagining education.... Hmmmmmm.
    Let's see where our students line up with their Caribbean counterparts then evaluate our system, educators and the Watchman.
  • Eldread (27/08/2024, 18:26) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Ok education is the key, but this re-imagine education is about what? Because our education is for service industry and not manufacturing or resources etc. no entrepreneurship in mind but to create helping hands to produce wealth for international global corporation, it's an entire Caribbean agenda to give our former colonial masters hegemony over us,
  • Cindy (27/08/2024, 19:06) Like (1) Dislike (9) Reply
    Thank you for your great vision for education hon de Castro you are the only minister that is shining
  • Reimaging (28/08/2024, 01:48) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    The blatent nepotism that this minister is practicing is outrageous, if the vision for education system is to put persons in position because they are in your inner circle and not because they have the years of experience or the qualification. It is sending the wrong message to the youths, that they do not have to work hard to achieve their goal because you only get positions by association. Action speaks louder than words.
  • question (28/08/2024, 07:14) Like (8) Dislike (0) Reply
    You all going to vote for this person come next election or not??? The amnesia during election time is crazy. Try to remember this article buddy.
  • women power (28/08/2024, 07:25) Like (0) Dislike (4) Reply
    To be honest only Lorna and Sheri doing something the other male ministers are waste of time
  • Jai (28/08/2024, 12:54) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    This minister is giving friends and family the high positions in education and bipassing those with the qualifications and experience.


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