Mister Speaker, placing Virgin Islanders at the centre of development activities through expanding access to educational opportunities continues to be a central focus of this Government’s agenda. The H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) continues to expand its offerings through various Memoranda of Understanding. Today I am pleased to give a statement on three recent programmes in which the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) has been engaged.

Mr. Speaker, last year, I announced my intention to examine the additional year of instruction in our public secondary schools, with the intention of deciding whether it would continue.  Mr. Speaker, I held public meetings, which yielded useful feedback on the topic.  I was able to confirm that, indeed, there were students in the system who benefitted from the additional year as well as students who were being held back by the additional year.

Minister Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to provide an update on some education matters. The main areas of focus during our professional development sessions is physical literacy for all and critical literacy.  To promote physical literacy, Sports for Life Team and the BVI Olympic Committee graciously donated physical education equipment to the schools. I express my sincere appreciation to their generous donations.  In addition to the training that took place in August and November 2019, the final training is scheduled for 4^th – 15^th May, 2020. We also held our annual Excellence in Teaching workshops for teachers on Tortola and Virgin Gorda also as a part of on-going professional development.

Two local institutions in the Virgin Islands were gifted with gardening equipment and supplies as a result of their similar requests to an Honourable Member.

The Territory is being reminded that this year marks seventy years since legislative government was restored, as it prepares to observe the 25^th Anniversary of the passing of one of its greatest visionary leaders, the late Honourable Hamilton Lavity Stoutt.

Educational institutions perform important roles in the development of any society and to show appreciation for this, we often acknowledge the contributions of principals and teachers. But there is a small but growing segment of persons that needs to be celebrated. Those are our school counsellors.

Parents and guardians of students attending public schools throughout the Territory are notified that schools will be closed on Thursday, February 13 to facilitate a Professional Day for educators and Friday, February 14, for midterm break.

Cabinet has approved for a student and faculty representative to sit on the Board of Governors of the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College.