THE EDUCATION REVIEW

Education and training are two of the most critical components of human resources development. The National Integrated Development Strategy (NIDS), in articulating the hopes and aspirations of the people and identifying the challenges and options, has concluded that education and training should be a critical area. The policy goal for human resources development is the improvement of the human condition by education and training and health. The NIDS process of deepening and widening of the education system is intended to make it more responsive to the needs of the society through its content and delivery systems. Successive governments in the recent history of the British Virgin Islands have maintained education and training as a national priority while the people have kept it on the national agenda.

The British Virgin Islands are a service economy in which international trade is responsible for 78% of national income. We provide services in two of the most competitive industries - tourist and financial services – for the most sophisticated markets in the world. It therefore follows that our workers must be well educated, trained and exposed to the conditions in the markets of Europe and North America. To produce these services, our work force must be up to speed with current information technology, new application of S & T in the work place and well-versed in current world political affairs.

The ability to deliver high quality services to a population exploding by immigration and the consequent presence of dependent children from various educational systems and cultures are a serious challenge. Our country and the world in general have changed tremendously since our last Education Plan in 1990. Our economic way of life has undergone a further transformation into a greater dependence on international financial services. Our people must now change and the first step in that process is education and training. The present education review is timely and we expect it to assist us in obtaining the eleven strategic objectives we have identified in our National Integrated Development Strategy (NIDS). We expect better value for money and a better-educated and trained workforce to meet the challenges of globalization.