High school seniors being recruited to fill teacher shortage
As the BVI continues to grapple with teacher shortage, Education Minister Sharie de Castro has said her ministry is getting ready to recruit interested students, who are at the end of their high school journey, to teach at various schools across the territory.
De Castro said the teacher trainee programme is not new to the BVI, adding that there are some teachers in the local school system who started out their careers as trainees.
“We used to have a teacher-trainee programme way back where persons who were graduating and had an interest in teaching had the opportunity to come into the profession as a teacher — trainee for a year to two years and then go off to study,” De Castro explained. She said the ministry will soon be meeting with high school seniors to discuss the programme with them as it is a gateway they could use to enter the teaching profession.
“We believe it could be an opportunity where we could recruit the requisite talent right out of high school and give them the professional development, certification and degrees necessary to grow in the profession.”
Targeting college grads too
She also said the ministry will be targeting recent college graduates, especially those who have not yet found jobs in the disciplines or areas they studied.
“We’re about to launch a programme as well called “Let’s Teach VI” and it’s really focused on our college graduates — even our scholarship students who are returning to the teritory and do not currently have employment. We’re creating a programme where we can get them in the door as well because they would have an Associate or Bachelor’s in a content area,” de Castro stated.
She said the ministry will be partnering with the H. Lavity Stoutt College to develop a programme in which new graduates can get initial onboarding training. Later on, interested persons may opt to go to the college to continue their teacher-training education, the minister said.
She explained that these measures will, hopefully, fill some of the shortages the BVI is experiencing as teachers continue to migrate to jurisdictions with more attractive salaries than the BVI. In a recent interview, the Education Minister said some teachers have ditched the BVI for the Cayman Islands where the starting salary is $70,000 per year.
“The starting salary in the US Virgin Islands as of August is $50,000. Our starting salary is $31,000 for a qualified teacher,” the minister said in a recent interview.
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The problem with our High School graduates is that they have experienced a very third rate education yet been told that it is world class. They don’t know how much better education is elsewhere – even at places close to home like Cedar. If they go straight from High School student to High/Primary school teacher, they will never learn how much better education is elsewhere.
This minister went to college and was such an awful teacher when she was at the high school. I can only imagine the poor high school children now teaching. Father help the BVI.
We need to pay more.
They should be ashamed. tsk tsk
A child is the minister of education and now she wants to hire her high school classmates. Father send help
We should get creative and let them live in or buy those new Government houses for about 15 to 20 of their salary….There are more incentives than money…..I like the idea of recruting at home though.
plan to recruit high school graduates as trainee teachers. Better plan is to increase the qualified teachers annual salary to compete with the other islands.
Look seriously at what was implimented for teacher training college at HLSCC years ago. Also look at agreement when teachers were trained (BA in education) right here in the VI by Hull Uni.
Without vision, a people perish!
A native Virgin Islander to the Nth generation
This is not the first time this initiative would have been introduced. People would rather you import labour, some of whom only apply for the U S Dollar and may be terrible teachers, thus the reason for the demise at the schools. Years ago, a lot of teachers were recruited this way, and they were wonderful teachers.
I believe any country’s responsibility is to find a way to grow its people, and this is a way to do so. Just make sure they complete the teachers’ programme so that they can advance in the profession.
What can a recent high school graduate teach to essentially their peers? They do not have the requisite knowledge to do the job.
The world is too complex in this day and age to have kids teaching each other. This is not the solution imo. We can do better; we have to.
The educational system needs qualified and experienced teachers. You cannot have kids teaching kids. The quality of education will suffer.
The question is why is there a teacher shortage in the first place? If it’s a matter of inadequate compensation, then for God’s sake offer a competitive compensation package to new hires, and increase the salaries of those currently working in the system to retain them.
This is a perfect example of a need where that 250K free party money could be spent. Spent that money recruiting teachers with experience, rather than wasting it on some silly party that does not benefit the country in the long run.
The education of our children should be a priority and if it takes offering more money to recruit qualified teachers or retain them, for God’s sake just do it.
This is not the solution.
Those experienced retired teachers who wants togo back to educating must be given full consideration.
Within e very senior teacher that is now retired are hundreds of libraries, thousands of researched papers and unlimited cannot be bought in the trencehs experience.
There is an age oldpractice of dicarding the very resources that could continue to benefit society, institutions and all.
Wellsah is this woman good in her head?
A recent high school student does not have to teach high school and I am sure that is not where most would start. However, I am also absolutely certain some can teach in the high school.
Ms de Castro, you are on the right track otherwise bvi will forever find itself in the same predicament year after year because some people come to the bvi and cannot wait to get vested and retire so they can return home to live happily ever after off social security money which will quadruple in Some places and five times that in others.
Go right ahead and educate your people. It’s the right thing to do.
Yes. She is. Lots if people work in jobs they were thought after arriving there. She also mentioned providing professional training. If it is fine right it can work like any other job. Lots of imported hairdressers have not a clue but they practise on people’s hair and char exorbitant amounts of money.
Some of the comments have not one bone of critical thinking. Here is my suggestion, if there are college graduates who wants to be come teachers , offer them the 31 K with incentives and others who are there 10 years or more increased their pay to 6oK per year, with incentives.
High Schools graduate who has highest grade points can do paid volunteer work. Such , as teach, Math, English and Science. Most Val-and Sal. Are good at what they do. They can handle the lower classes.
Finally remember God, in all that you do, include a religious class to foster students to become better human for the future.Teach them well, show them love and support them to the fullest. Never tell them to do this and that. Show them how it’s done the correct way.
The BVI need this shift in the way we think and this is a good start. Every one have to get training in whatever one does. The right thing is to train your own so that they can take up the mantle. Many teachers come here and get trained on the jobs, because they come and lie that they can do jobs they are hired for and and end up learning on the job. This also apply to other professions not just teaching.
Nobody wants to teach the BVI rude kids, let it be known that working for that salary per month.
Too much slackness going on
no student should be in the high school after 16years old.
cannot compare to teaching… teaching is the most prestigious, respectable career one can have as it influences all other categories of jobs all over. Persons need to firstly be educated, willing and dedicated; experience is not always a must as one must start somewhere but it is a plus. The curriculum is a minus and real teachers are frustrated having it rammed down their throats and Principals seeing the failure of the current system are frustrated but apparently unaware as to how to get the Ministry on board with making the hasty and necessary adjustments to the currently failing system
I love the idea of sourcing the brightest and best that we have to offer right here and immerse them into the teaching profession, starting in the Primary Schools and then in the High School after.
Wonderful move. Naysayers will always give their opinions, but lots of us were taught by the very best that this country had to offer: Teacher Bell, Teacher Pearl, Teacher Olive, Teacher Eugenie to name a few. We have to leave this mentality behind about others always being better than your own. The young people today are extremely intelligent and can do this. Just, please, choose the ones that are focused and can put down their gadgets away and be a true blessing to our children. Kudos.
Really and truly go into a classroom and ask who wantS to teach…if you get 1 or 2 hands you get a lot.. The children them know teaching gets you no where..its a semi profession.. continue to be watered down.. step up to the plate pay liveable salaries provide bonuses and incentives. We always turning a darn blind eye to reality..and I dont want to hear the bull about do it for love give more get change.. raise the damn pay and then demand what you need to demand make the profession attractive. Money talks BS walks and that the hard fact reality… thats it!! And nothing else mortgage and riteway does not accept love as a form of payment.on top of that some rude disrespectful kids hot classroom no bonus no incentives. Work load up to your eyeballs.. The children see all of that.. why go to stress them life out, with no compensation aint best they stay in a office with ac stress free when they leave that office work is done not like teaching the work never ever finishes.. just demand demands demands no pay.. and that why teachers simply leave!! THE END!
The best example is Anegada. Babysitter in the school teaching. So it will work people.
All you have to do is kiss c*** b ass