ESHS shift system postponed suddenly and indefinitely
The Ministry of Education has postponed the rollout of the shift system that was to be introduced at Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS) starting today, May 3.
News of the postponement came during a last-minute announcement Sunday night — hours before the rollout. The deferral is “until further notice”.
Responding to subsequent questions from BVI News, Education Minister Dr Natalio Wheatley said the postponement is because of “concerns” that were raised.
The minister did not specify what the concerns were or from whom they came.
He explained: “There have been some concerns that have come to my attention and I would like for the Education Advisory Board and other stakeholders to have an opportunity to investigate and consider these concerns before moving forward.”
Our news centre had also asked the minister whether the schools, particularly ESHS, was indeed ready to make the change from hybrid learning to a shift system and whether he believed the decision was premature or if there was any pressure to roll out this shift system.
Wheatley did not address those questions directly. But in a single blanket response, he said “there will be broader consultation for major decisions” under his leadership going forward.
“I appreciate that much planning has gone into this shift system by administrators and teachers, and I also acknowledge this postponement may have caused some inconvenience to parents and others. I humbly apologise and ask for the indulgence of all parties as we make sure we get this absolutely right. I appreciate the public’s patience as we move forward together,” Dr Wheatley added.
The system would have allowed for two shifts — a morning and an afternoon group of students. The morning shift would run from 8:40 – 11:55 am while the afternoon shift would have run from 12:40 – 3:55 pm.
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I don’t understand why the are not opening the school in full, there are no virus here the are just destroying the education system just like what the did to the tourism industry
Raising a new generation of uneducated dummies. Oh wait…. that happens every year Covid or not.
Is that how you think of your child/relatives? your comment is totally insensitive to the the youths that are being affected. You might be bitter because you fall into that category and would like someone to blame. However, insulting our youths is not the way to do.
What a disaster this minister is. You want to tell me as a parent that under the previous government that they got a shift system put together within one month of hurricane Irma and after a year and months this minister and his government can’t get our children back in school? They will come with all sorts of untruths and excuses and try to down play the hurricane Irma shift system but it worked at the most horrific time in our country. And what is even more remarkable is that the BVI was #1 in the OECS in CXC that sane year again.
The difference is leadership. Our current minister is our if his depth. This is the truth.
Myron come help the man. He don’t have a clue!
MYRON, AS A PARENT, PLEASE HELP HIM. WE PARENTS IS GIVING YOU PERMISSION AND CONSENT TO HELP THIS MAN.
Got to be Myron commenting bigging himself up, guess they forget about that million dollar wall and all he bad ways using he companies to cater to government events and numerous other conflicts of interest.
I WISH I COULD LIKE THIS 100 TIMES. THIS COULD NOT AND I STRESS COULD NOT HAPPEN UNDER MYRON. OUR KIDS WOULD HAVE BEEN BACK IN SCHOOL A LONG TIME AGO.
We cannot be serious. Go back for the barge money. Go back for the consultancy for CSC money, go back for the rent money for your cronies buildings, go back for the body guard money, go back for the social security money you messed up and fix the schools for our children to learn. This is a disgrace. Do you know how many lives you are destroying?
AGAIN, ANOTHER PLAN GONE UP IN SMOKE. POOF. MINISTER OF EDUCATION PREPARE FOR THE ROASTING YOU WILL BE GETTING TODAY.
Hi Natalie
You are the worse that could have happened to education in this territory. Your predecessors were not fantastic but you are absolutely useless.
We elected you as we thought you were a talent, but you show no signs of having any talent whatsoever. It is just inexperience that you are showing.
Not sure who gave you a doctorate but you should consider handing it back.
The last minister for education did a good job. Give jack his jacket.
The last Minister of Education was one of the best. GIVE HIM HIS KUDOOS.
Myron was kind of co****t though. So not too much kudos please.
So you get personal now. The man knew his job. Kudos to him.
KUDOOS, KUDOOS , KUDOOS TO MYRON ONE OF THE BEST EDUCATION MINISTERS IN THE BVI. HIS SERVICES IS NEEDED ASAP.
There are a lot of doctorates but not an ounce of basic common sense.
I was about to type the exact thing!
Degrees are a dime a dozen
dude is a doctrate is poems. Everybody want to be called doctor and can’t save sh..t
If INCOMPETENT was a person! This young man let me down. I swear he would come with new ideas and a new approach because he was the one that critized everything that past Government did and now he get a chance to prove himself did nothing for the past two years. When one love to find fault they should have solutions to back up their talk.
What a disgrace! He is the real Dr. DoLittle!
BOL! LOL! That was funny and so fitting.
These jokers just gambling with the children future….They don’t even have a clue about nothing…Only talk talk
What next ??
Chief Education Officer, Minister of Education and Pricipal need to step down immediately
There you cronies go again blaming civil servants. Go on
Virtually everything this government announces gets turned back at the 11th hour. When are we going to say as a people we need an end to this incompetence. Protocols supposed to change for arrivals in the 15th yet still no update on what happens to groups with children that can’t be vaccinated. Is the fee still $175 for vaccinated arrivals even though a test is gone. We are becoming a joke internationally.
Anywhere else the minister would have been forced to resign. A disgrace for our kids.
The Shift system can work! But please 3hrs is not sufficient. Let’s take a look at the shift in place that occurred after Irma… the kids did well. STOP using COVID as an excuse! People (children, parents and teachers) are out at gatherings every weekend. School is one of the most important gatherings and yet it’s the one that is a problem. Other Caribbean countries has CXC last year and this year like normal… why are we setting the children back and reducing their work. SMH… Please educate my children! Please get it together… not another year of COVID excuse please.
What have they been doing all this time? Nothing seems to be happening in this ministry at all. The students were looking forward to going back to school only to hear mid night last night that no school again. This is deplorable and the governor or somebody need to intervene. This is putting our children at serious risk.
Natalio could not even mark couple test papers and get them back to us when he was our lecturer in school. We make him a minister of education. We can’t expect no different.
My mother used to say that you know what you got but you don’t know what you are going to get. If Myron was education minister this crap would not be happening. I tired call his name. If it was one thing he could get things done and done well. Look at how long my children can’t go to school. I know that this will affect them
The school don’t have no furniture I hear. What a shame!
The country has gone to the DOGS. The only people who sees different are his cronies who got their pockets filled with our stimulus monies.
Can we call an election. We need new leadership.
I can’t believe people, especially parents are being so passive about this. Surely this is not acceptable. Why aren’t the school buildings complete when so much money has been spent elsewhere? Why aren’t the pupils back in full time education? These are critical years and we have been predominantly COVID free for months.
Look at the private schools! Is it just that the parents there care more?
The populace only have mouth for white people/expats, they are all dead scared of Fahie/VIP, that’s the sad truth in a nutshell. You can’t name one thing this Government is doing right but look around, nobody speaking out, business as usual while the place goes to s**t.
Education. Education. Where are our priorities. The minister has a pee-h-dee in African Studies. CDC, WHO and Astrazenca got to tell ayo to put the children in school or what. This government just don’t fail to amaze me every time the sun come up. All who are at the head of this train need to jump off because they are of no use.
When is the next election again?
Set ah jokers!!!!! Thank God I am not a parent or a student during this time but this is beyond ridiculous!!!!!!
YOU AREEE THE WEAKEST LINK,SEE YA.
I bet if you leave it to the students they can sort this mess out by themselves better than the set of duncie clowns running the education system. What on earth can we get right just for once?
The man don’t have a clue what he doing
I don’t know why people expect better from Natalio. Is it because he had doctor by his name? That is not proof of competence. The doctorate is in African studies. How does that help you with management of anything? We need to stop settting ourselves up for failure. He has no experience in managing nothing whatsoever. Nothing! Being in government is about management. It is a big business. Would you hire someone to manage your business who has no managerial experience? Well stop doing it with your government affairs. Look at the whole VIP which one you see could manage anything.
You might be on to something!! The only official that appears to be doing a half-decent job is Kye and I’m sure if the Premier wasn’t trying to micro-manage everything he would’ve done a lot more. All of the others including the Premier are a complete waste of space and need to go home now.
Please help, only one man can get us out of all this mess is Hon Frazer , wake up people
I wonder which rum you were drinking last night.
Start a riot to call early elections, humty fahie, dr. Do little, the lady who put up the weird Omar bust, Calvin Klein they all need go
Sad, after 2 plus years, he now put an advisory board in place, and put the blame on them to stall his incompetence.
Mr. Minister, no matter who advise you, the decision is yours.
Cant believe we voted for this.
I AGREE THIS MINISTER IS SOCKS!! WHY KEEPING THE SCHOOL CLOSED FOR? NO SENSE OF HUMAN AND PROFESSIONALISM DUMMYPLEASE HON. PRIMIER CHAGE THAT MAN FROM EDUCATION PLEASEEE THE CHILDREN WILLNOT LERN AT ALLL THIS YEAR ! SCHOOL SHOULD BE OPENING JUST BECAUSE 20 24 PEOPLE ARE CONTAMINATED HE HAS TO KEEP SCHOOL CLOSED AND CHILDREN ARE NOT LERNING REALLY !! WHAT THE HECK!!!
Why are you thinking of the shift system again? The primary students are in class full day Monday through Friday. Why can’t the high school students do the same?
Education in the BVI is falling down a slipper slope. Too much bosses . No one listens to each other . The Principal of the Junior school doing her own thing and does not listen to the PRINCIPAL. She makes up rules and ignores the PRINCIPAL . Power struggle is killing both Junior and Senior School … Oretending the system is working . Bunch of jokers
Our action teach us new move some of the move is what save our life ,in some of my studies I learn to pray, wait on God
God know the reason why this happing in.the ministry of Education so it could be in the news, thanks for the pray grope who.pray everyday and celebrate it once a year
Pray and be a good people understand yourself mankind,the first person who comment nead school so much that they for away from the English language using the where the word should be