Education Ministry launches campaign to reward well-behaved students
File photo of Junior ESHS students at their Road Town campus.
The Ministry of Education has launched a Positive Behaviour Management Campaign which will see a number of billboards, slogans and jingles played and displayed across various communities in the British Virgin Islands.
Chief Education Officer Connie George said the initiative, which is jointly funded by the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Kingdom government, is aimed at highlighting positive behaviours among students in the territory.
“For the past two to three years, we have been encouraging the positive behavioural framework as a part of discipline of students in schools. Many times, it is the practice to accentuate the negative, highlight the shortcomings, and in fact the student with the negative behaviours are the focus,” George said during the virtual ceremony on Thursday.
“Positive behavioural framework says the opposite. Let us reward, award and accentuate those students that are representing good behaviour, helpers, making a positive impact and those who are trying to do well,” she added.
Time to bring attention to positive behaviours
Education Minister Dr Natalio Wheatley stressed the importance of the initiatives and the many benefits that will stem from the venture.
He said: “I unite with UNICEF with the goal that we should reinforce positive behaviour as opposed to simply focusing on negative behaviour.”
“We show the importance of rewarding behaviour that we all expect, at the standard that we all expect and we emphasize it, we bring attention to it, we allow persons to understand that this is the way that you should behave if you want to get positive results in your life,” he added.
Educators encouraged to jump on board
The minister also encouraged all persons at all levels of the BVI’s education system to join the initiative to help further promote positive behaviour in the territory.
“We must do it in our homes so that we can make the job of the teachers and the principals and the administrators much easier. Of course, we must also do it in the classrooms, we must do it on the playgrounds, we must do it everywhere within our society,” Dr Wheatley stated.
UNICEF’s commitment to the BVI
Meanwhile, UNICEF’s Representative for the Eastern Caribbean Dr Aloys Kamuragiye gave assurance that the BVI will continue to benefit from programmes which are aimed at improving the livelihood of children across the territory.
“I can confirm that UNICEF will keep working with BVI partners to ensure that BVI is fit for their children, that all children in the BVI enjoy their rights,” he stated.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
Look what we come too, paying for good behaviour. Spare the rod and spoil the tree
It is such a shame what the high school has turned into. The best days for that school was when Mr. Elmore Stoutt was there….those were the days when disciple was in place. Now, most of these students have NO RESPECT for themselves nor others. I know a few who don’t even bathe before they come to school…they show up looking raggy and smelling like a ram goat in heat. It’s like the parents can’t even control them SMH
And why are students still allowed to attend school after being suspended over 5 times? What is being put in place for these troublemakers?
How about launching a campaign to get them back into school. Strupes ?
I guess you need to reward good behavior. In today’s world of Black Lives Matter we can all see that there is a lack of good behavior. Actually what we see is a primitive behavior … How about a good spanking over the knee for bad behavior. Or maybe take away the freakin scooter.
How about a campaign to build back our schools that still mostly lay in ruins from Irma! The short sightedness off our country is terrifying! FIX OUR SCHOOLS!
Million dollar consultancy contracts that will produce diddley squat are more important today than the children’s mind or the future of the country. Afterall, Ray Charles can now see that.
The foundational training begins in the home. Guess if we finally get around to enforcing the various laws of the Territory we could eventually get back to the values that once existed here. As a result, there would be no need for the government to do the parents’ job.
Why are we rewarding behavior that is expected? Do you really think these young people don’t know what is expected of them? The government need to look for the root of the problems they are having with the students that are at risk. I pray the billboards, slogans and jingles doesn’t cost millions of dollars. I hope they plan to invest in scholarships, summer programs abroad and internships for those that deserve it so that they could continue to develop into model citizens. We have a lot of wasted talent in the BVI, help them.
Fix the problem of our children taking verbal abuse from some of these teachers. They are telling our children all manner of things during these online classes but they fail to realise that some parents are actually around and listening in on the classes.
The situation is frustrating for all of us but as a teacher they should know how to conduct themselves. My thing is if they only joined the profession for the paycheck then they need to go home.
There are teachers who genuinely love children and would go the extra mile to assist them in whatever way they can and for those teachers I APPRECIATE AND APPLAUD YOU.
What ever strategy works use it as we know some of these kids mindset is already wounded so with this small venture like this at least we can see some positive notes out of all this and maybe later on they can offer them small scholarships as their levels goes up