Curriculum overhaul planned to strengthen Virgin Islands’ history
The Ministry of Education will overhaul the school curriculum to give students stronger skills and a deeper knowledge of Virgin Islands history, Education Minister Sharie deCastro has said.
Speaking at the start of the 2025–2026 school year, deCastro outlined plans to modernise teaching and learning under the theme Full Steam Ahead, Future Focus Student-Led.
“Curriculum development would be a huge one because when we speak about STEAM and we speak about reinvigorating our classrooms and reimagining education and what that looks like, curriculum is a huge part of that,” deCastro stated.
She said the ministry had already begun small and large steps to preserve local culture.
“Just this week, we’re going to have the Heritage Dancers and the Plait Polers coming into our teachers as a part of our PD sessions,” deCastro explained. She added that new music equipment, including fungi instruments, was being sent to schools so that “every single school, especially our primary school, when you speak on music appreciation, they should be learning our cultural, local music as well”.
Virgin Islands history is already taught at primary and secondary levels, but the minister said more work is being done to improve it.
“In terms of our curriculum, we do have social studies on the primary level. Virgin Islands history is a huge part of that… but we also have Virgin Islands history on the secondary level. And so we are doing more to seek to build out our capacity regarding that specific area,” she stated.
DeCastro confirmed that a new curriculum director has been hired to focus on subject development.
“Virgin Islands history is definitely a huge part of that, as well as civics, so they understand, you know, government and the House of Assembly, how it works, how you pass bills and so forth,” she said.
The minister stressed that reform is needed to prepare students for future industries. She said student voices would be central to the process, pointing to examples of graduates who had highlighted weaknesses in the system.
“Yes, our education system produces great talent, but we also have to be honest enough to look at the potential weaknesses and challenges of the system and look them in the face and fix them,” deCastro noted.
The overhaul follows infrastructure upgrades, new training for teachers, and the addition of technology, including smartboards and robotics courses.
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This is good. I like the V I history part of it. In high school I had little to no V I history except for what I taught my self. We got a shit load of U S history stuff and other Caribbean Islands history shiggidy.
A New Student Welcome Social would be a good ideal similar to that overseas where new students socialize/interact with each other and teachers as well as Principals in an informal setting prior to orientation.
It must begin to be taught.
Curriculum content also should contain elements that the history in its full scope.
For example, Black and or African history must include historical data dating back before the “slaving”epouch to include great civilizations and more.
It is that kind of reteaching that will reshape and organize theindividuals’ minds about himself, his country and future.
Our history did not begin with slavery, and that fact should begin to be taught.
AND ITS NONE OTHER THAN MR E LEONARD , AND EOULD OF BEEN A GREAT HELP OF BRINGING HIS VAST KNOWLEDGE TO THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SO THAT THE YOUNGER GENERATION CAN LEARN OUR TRUE HISTORY INSTEAD OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS SH*TTY VERSION / BUT HE HA A VERY SERIOUS MENDASITY PTOBLEM OR SELECTIVE AMNESIA / SADLY , HE ONLY SEES ON SIDE ( OR AFRAID T O ENLIGHTEN US ON THE DEGRADING ” ISLAND PEOPLE SAGA “
You do realize Gen z doesn’t give a $#&4 about anything else than their socials and shein hauls…Just like these politicians what’s on their socials and who got conch roti..I hungry.