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Education Minister champions ‘reimagined curriculum’

Education Minister Sharie deCastro

Education Minister Sharie de Castro has announced a vision to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and innovation skills among BVI students.

de Castro, while addressing educators at the 2024 Professional Development Day, also announced the official opening of the 2024-2025 school year under the theme, “Virgin Islands Education: Moving Full STEAM Ahead.”

“We are developing a reimagined curriculum,” de Castro said, “where students are not just users of technology but are equipped with the skills to become creators of industries.”

The initiative focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) innovation, starting from lower secondary school and expanding to robotics and coding in upper secondary.

de Castro indicated that the move was a response to students’ call to nurture their curiosity and ingenuity by focusing on digital literacy and innovation.

In the meantime, Acting Chief Education Officer Orlandette Crabbe said STEAM education was already changing students’ lives.

“It affords them the skills they need to thrive in an ever-evolving world, preparing them not just for jobs that exist today, but for the opportunities of the future that we can’t even imagine,” Crabbe said.

“This is why the transformation we are on is so critical,” Crabbe continued.

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley also acknowledged the initiative’s benefits for educators. “As we prepare our students for an ever-evolving world and a new landscape, so too we must acknowledge that there is a need for educators to be on a path of constant development,” Dr Wheatley stated.

He said this means constantly updating knowledge, reviewing and revising methods, and pivoting as necessary.

The Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports adopted STEAM as its theme in 2022,  part of its commitment to better equip students for a technologically competitive world.

Professional Development Day is dedicated to motivating educators and refocusing their vision for the new school year. It is part of a week-long summer institute filled with various educational sessions focusing on the laws governing education, the changing educational climate, and establishing strategic plans.

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12 Comments

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  1. Save us says:

    Education is going no where under this little child. The only thing she is doing is making her friends principal’s and assistant principals. Even her sister was allegedly made an assistant principal out of no where. The same way the boyfriend allegedly got his belongers without being here nearly long enough and he got money to pay off his credit card from our treasury.

    Like 26
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    • @ save us says:

      She appearing to be a little pitbull( demonstrating bully like stances). She and her Premier are two peas in a Pod that is filled with bad air. For an education minister, she lacks integrity,moral ethics,fundamental principles, and what it takes to lead and produce productivity. People want to see and welcome progress, not to hear unsustainable words or personal grievances. The Opposition is their to oppose(challenge) the sitting Government. To let the public know what is going on within HOA and to hold accountable the actions of the government. She needs to sit her rass down and be quiet if she doesn’t have anything productive or progressive facts as to what has been accomplished during her tenor.

  2. Baby steps says:

    Reading , writing, arithmetic and a work ethic then just maybe you could move on from there.

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  3. MOM, FIANCE& CREDIT CARD says:

    WE WANT BACK THAT STIMULUS

    Like 14
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  4. ... says:

    Ok so what happened to teaching the kids Mandarin?

  5. Hahaha!!!! says:

    Here we go again from imagining to re-imagining to birthing from bosom (by the way, who’s going to tell her what a bosom is and why you cannot give birth from it?) then right back to re-imagining again. By tomorrow’s headline we will be’imagining’ all over again. Absolutely no work to do is shat it sounds like. Any lazy person can imagine and re-imagine ans no body can give birth from any bosom. Thanks for the laugh though.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Do not care for the Mandarin education bit in this part of the world to much..

    China, as usual, focus has always been on the larger land mases such as Jamacia, Barbados and Trinidad, for example.

    It might indicate foresight, however, to consider Swahili, for more future internationational reasons than one.

  7. EV says:

    Do not care for the Mandarin education bit in this part of the world to much..

    China, as usual, focus has always been on the larger land mases such as Jamacia, Barbados and Trinidad, for example.

    It might indicate foresight, however, to consider Swahili, for more future internationational reasons than one.

  8. LOL says:

    The premier needs a course in critical thinking.

  9. BuzzBvi says:

    And now you have reimagined – it can you use your wand and magic the teachers who are suddenly with a sweep of your tongue going to be able to teach this. I think, I think, therefore it will be so. Is this another example of the new policy of letting God fix the roads and the rest of the VI? Or we now also relying on the magical slivery tongue of our Ed Min. SdeC

  10. Hmmmmm says:

    Ms.DeCastro hasn’t a clue how to push education forward. She spent months in a classroom then left because the conditions were not favourable. Now, she calls herself and educator. Like how? She quitted while many stayed and held the fort in spite of the challenges. Now she’s the leader with all the ideas. It’s a crying shame but you get the government you deserve. She is hand in hand with the CEO giving out positions to friends, family members, cliques and supporters
    but it’s just time. Evil doers will be cut off. Teachers really continue to push on for the students because the minister and CEO sure are no motivation.

    Like 2
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