Walwyn vindicated | Says opening schools swiftly after hurricanes paid off
Education Minister Myron Walwyn and Elmore Stout High School Principal, Sandy Underhill.
Education Minister Myron Walwyn has marked Elmore Stoutt High School’s (ESHS) graduation this year as vindication for criticism surrounding his ministry’s so-called ‘rushed’ efforts to reopen schools after the September 2017 hurricanes.
Captioning a photo of the graduates which he posted on social media site Facebook on Friday morning, Walwyn said: “I hope we can all appreciate why the ministry of education moved so swiftly after the hurricanes to get schools opened against the odds and the criticisms.”
Some 124 students graduated ESHS this year, which represents almost 90 percent of students who enrolled in Grade 12 at the educational facility. Only 15 enrollees did not meet graduation requirements.
The students graduated after what can be described as one of the toughest years in the territory’s academic history.
The education minister, therefore, recognised the graduates’ resilience.
“Perseverance is one of the major keys to success. These students persevered and look at where they are today,” said Walwyn who also recognised the efforts of parents and teachers
“You must persevere and push on regardless of the obstacles in your way. No pain. No gain,” he added.
The graduation ceremony took place on Thursday at the H Lavity Stoutt Community College campus in Paraquita Bay.
Out of that cohort of graduates, there were 67 honour roll students. Five of those students received high honours.
Last year’s weather events severely damaged five of the 16 public schools in the territory. This forced the ministry to implement a shift system for a number of those schools; including ESHS. The ministry also set up classrooms in temporary locations and temporary structures such as tents.
When Minister Walwyn was fending off criticisms back in October, he noted that it was possible for students to learn even ‘under a mango tree’, adding that the quality of the instruction was what mattered most.
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How swift was it really? Cedar School was open for over a month before the Government schools.
What damage did cedar receive?
I thought Albion had sense. Looks like politics is in his brain.
seriously the wheels of government turn slowly…cedar is a private school charing all sorts of ridiculous money….I would have expected it to be open very soon thats their only priority
@ Albion…just give the minister, the ministry and teachers due credit. They were able to transfer from ESHS to the old CTL in one month. Let’s give credit where it’s due. Good job Mr. Minister. We appreciate your effort!
What is he talking about? Self praise is no praise atall! For $30k/month plus for the current location after 10 months now you mean to tell me not one floor of the Elmore Stout HS has been refurbished to accommodate these kids? If it’s he windows/doors needed to basically make the structures air/water tight then when haven’t they been orders and installed by now? Phase the refurbishments with the funds as they become available!!! The current location is appalling and not conducive to a learning environment- even the teachers look depressed to be working in such conditions for far too long! So Mr. Man – get off your high horse and come down to reality – you’ve not done the best post storms and it is evident. We shall see how many students have left to go to other institutions or the island all together come September. Post the data if you dare! The curve must have been very low based on the numbers of honor students – fudging the data to give a perception that all is well – BS. You guys have let down he children of this territory with y’all selfish greed.
The kids graduated. The Ministry and Minister were successful in making what they had work for them. The schools are being fixed and will be back to normal in due time. Give props to those who deserve it. The Minister, Ministry, Teachers, Parents should all be lauded.
@ Laughing
Really? You probably talking about school.
WarWyn on Walwyn will make us when the general elections. No objectivity, just hit the blogs. One question though, how will the territory take your camp (VIP) seriously if you can’t be objective? We need an objective set of leaders to represent us and establishing a War Room to WarWyn is not going to cut it. WarWyn on Walwyn just can’t get me to support your team. I need solutions.
Please….Self praise is no praise! The STUDENTS are the one who deserve the accolades considering the circumstances.
Did you read? He said thr MINISTRY insisted on openinh schools then went on to congratulate parents and kids.
Use the marine college campus for a High School, full school hours from Sep, get the kids out of town and $400k pa to HLSCC instead of private individual all goes back into education.
The high school space is perfect for government office quadrangle with lots of parking and Gov can save millions in rent.
Marine college at Prospect Harbour with access to the sea and pools. Also culinary college, bring back bakery and café to cater for Road Town lunch traffic.
Very good ideas!!!
Wonderful idea!
Progressive and Transformational ideas to some of our challenges. Must seriously be looked at with opened minds. Just Brilliant!
Walwyn is a REAL LEADER! Despite all the negative noise he stuck to his guns, his team in the Ministry backed him and the kids and parents are now getting the rewards. This is great news!
Everyone in the territory will agree that the education of our children has suffered this year. YES this was a result of the storm BUT the response from our government in addressing this could have been much better. Most of the graduating students will not be leaving with the grades they expected or wanted. I would not boast success.
Elmo stoutt high school still uninhabited after 10 months while CTL is about 300 thousand richer
The ministry set up tents etc, strange don’t recall seeing them there.
Swift? Fix the schools so that the kids can go back 8:30-3:30 instead on 1-5 or 7-12 .. So they can work better.
Swift; not ideal but swift. Many of us had to take temporary measures to secure a resting place for our families some of us are still in the temporary state, churches and all. Should we not worship under a tent while our physical structure is being fixed? Shouldn’t you be grateful our students were able to over come challenges and continue their education? 11 months after not 11 years… Where’s the objectivity in your blog? Being in school longer means they will work better? Be objective don’t look at the Minister it’s bigger than Walwyn think of the kids what they were able to accomplish. If he didn’t push for school to be opened the schools would not have been partaking in graduation excercises.
When they go school at 7 am and done at 12 pm.. They gallivanting all over the place.. causing mischief.. getting into trouble.. so yeah smh your comment made sense.. yh yh
Where are the parents?
Slacking, lazy parents.
Myron really? You is a baby man….
Sandy you know your whole Fam are walwyn supporters so no need for that. The first time school open it was big news about fights etc… . They kids were called this and that and now the vindicated story. No need for self praise just get the kids regularize. We all know campaign is on so we will hear this kind of stuff but you need to stop and just focus on your school and not be a pawn in the election business. The country love you as principal but be just that and no pawn for election.
What is your point? I didn’t read anything about the Principal making remarks in this article. Should everything be about stupid politics?
This place is soo full hatred it’s shameful. When our people do well we find a way to bring them down because of politics. Myron is good leader and anyone can’t see that from his work ethic then something must be wrong. Give jack his jacket and stop this crab in the bucket behaviour.
The VIP having their war room to try to paint Myron is at work. His work will speak for him.
The VIP War Room looks like it has opened. No objectivity just WarWyn because this is how general elections are won. We have to hit the blogs, no solutions just hit the blogs and WarWyn on Walwyn will get us elected.
Whenever the government messes up we always quick to condemn them. When they do well we fail to recognize it and we try to conceal it. As a young person it makes me feel like the adults in this country want the country to fail. This is very disappointing for me to watch. I know Mr. Walwyn and I admire this man for the work he does and how he tries to help everybody. To read some of the blogs is very depressing. I am convinced that many of our people don’t know how to the love the county. We playing to much games.
And the schools especially the bathrooms nasty and dirty like before he storms? REALLY???
Writing the nastiest blogs you could imagine doesn’t change the facts. Hon. Walwyn out performed and out classed Hon. Fahie in education. I have problems evening knowing what Fahie did for those two terms he had. I heard the voice note saying how the VIP war room must attack Hon. Walwyn. If that’s the same dirty politics that VIP coming with then they will not be getting my vote.
I respectfully disagree, I am not a Fahie fan but I believe that the path that education was on under him made more sense. Accrediting the schools under an established systems made much fore sense for improving the education than putting the children to do some outdated regional standardized testing. The education system needs to be paired to international standards not regional. We are holding our children back.
This man Gotta be paying these NDP bloggers to blog on every answer.
Goes to show how much tax payers money was peddled back.
I am not an NDP supporter and usually not a Walwyn fan but how can this be turned into something negative? I was one against opening schools early and even the shift system but now I am so glad it was done because the kids pushed themselves and succeeded. Great job Minister. Great job Teachers and parents! Awesome job students. Not everything has to be about politics. We should all be proud given what we went through just 10 months ago.
VIP’s War Room opened to blog these nasty comments posted on this article by yourself and others and a few positive posts on the article are paid bloggers by Walwyn? An entire voice message about a War Room strategy and Walwyn pays for positive posts. SMH! VIP will not be in power in 2019 and you guys have yourself to blame with your LAME strategy.
Man what is really wrong with people? How can a story like this bring about so much hate? WOW!!!!!! Mr Minister keep your head high! You made some really tough decisions despite the voices contrary and it paid off. You and your team should be proud along with all parents and teachers. Ignore the negativity and keep pushing our youth. We are grateful!
Hon. Myron Walwyn and his team have done well here. Congratulations to all stakeholders involved. Congrats to all graduates; and those who have not met the challenge, keep pushing with a “knowing” that- we are created with every element of creation, so never-ever undermine your abilities and capabilities. Each of us are created for greatness; it just has to be embraced. “Be still and know, you are created in the image and likeness of the Most High.”
Great job Minister WalWyn. Your sincerity is evident and will be rewarded. Thank you! No comparison at all to the one who systematically made efforts to dumb down our children. Ahhh yes. He too will be rewarded.
@ VISION…Thank you for your post. Your ideas are refreshing. So many times I read these blogs and become depressed at the level of discourse our people engage in. Everyone criticizing without putting forth an alternative or practical solution. You may have saved the image of our people with this post. THANK YOU!
Best guy for the job
It’s a shame that people are accepting of this. The students would have been better off under a tent than the mold filled conditions of the old CLT building. B
But my issue is that the students and teachers will have to endure another year in that building because absulutly nothing has been done on fixing the actual campus. But yet Mr. Man all round stealing his boss’s job. His priorities are as clear as day. He is worried about himself not our kids or country
Utter nonsense in this post!!! Under a tent? The students on the West were under a tent and the most complaints came from that school and they had the right to complain. Now here you come with a tent post instead of congratulating the Ministry on their effort. How do we please the people of the BVI? I know, do nothing; make promises and do absolutely nothing! We had a school year and I’m grateful.
Doesn’t the Ministry of Education have a responsibility to open the schools as quickly as possible? So they did their job and they achieved it in difficult circumstances and it is woth acknowldging. Isnt that what they were being paid to do?
Failure to do so would have been negligence. The failure to maintain the school buildings and insure them is gross negligence.
You dont get the point. They are not asking for praise for doing their job they are rubbing the success in the faces of the negative naysayers who were against schools opening as quickly as possible.
At the graduation, I wondered why special praise was given to some employees for doing their jobs and not others who did their jobs also.