REMARKS BY MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE,

HONOURABLE MYRON V. WALWYN, ON THE OCCASION OF THE

RELEASE OF THE 2015 SECONDARY SCHOOL LEAVING RESULTS

Monday, 15^th June, 2015

Greetings!  I am Myron V. Walwyn, Minister for Education and Culture, and I am pleased to offer congratulatory remarks to the Fifth Formers of the Secondary Schools of the Territory of the Virgin Islands, who have completed their graduation requirements and are today celebrating their achievements with their teachers and parents.

Over the past few years, the Ministry of Education and Culture has been making strides towards the improvement of its Education System. As it was realised that the potential of the Territory’s students was not been fully tapped into, a number of initiatives were introduced to encourage students to persevere for excellence.  In 2014, our students surprised us. However, this year, our students have had to complete an additional requirement to achieve graduation status.

This year, the requirements for graduation includes: (i) passes in at least 5 subjects including Mathematics and English, and the completion of the National Citizen Service Programme.  In addition, honour students must achieve a Grade Point Average of 3.0 – 3.9, and high honour students, a GPA of 4.0 – 4.3.

The 2015 Graduating Class is the first class which has had to complete the newly implemented National Citizen Service Programme; this Programme equates to 120 hours of Community Service over the senior years.  As of 11^th June, 2015, Ministry’s records show that 64 students have not yet completed their Community Service; these students are highlighted on a “Graduation Pending Completion of National Citizen Hours” list.  The Ministry of Education is being very lenient in extending its deadline to Tuesday, 23^rd June, 2015, for final submission of service logs and reflective essays, if these students are to achieve graduation status.  Parents, we beg your assistance in ensuring that your children complete the required hours of community service.  I thank you in advance.

Keeping what I just said in mind, and with the hope that students who have achieved their five subjects towards graduation but have not completed their National Citizen Service will do so, I present to you the following secondary school leaving results.

Of the 281 Fifth form students, 253 students were successful at receiving the academic requirements for graduation; of these 253 students, 64 of them have yet to complete their 120 hours of National Citizen Service.  With the hope that all 64 of them will complete the requirement, this would signify a 90% pass rate.  Of those students, 144 would be females and 109 would be males.

Territory-wide, there are 67 honour students (41 females and 26 males), and 6 high honour students (4 females and 2 males).  This signifies that overall, 2.4% of the students are high honour students while 26.5% are honour students.

The following is the breakdown of the results for the public schools, and are based on the completion of the National Citizen Service.  I am positive that these students will realise the seriousness of this requirement and complete their service by the extended deadline of 23^rd June, 2015.

For the Bregado Flax Educational Centre, of the 31 Fifth formers, 24 students were successful in achieving the academic requirements; this signifies a 77% pass rate.  Of those students, 1 student received high honours while 9 received honours. One student is yet to complete the National Citizen Service.

For the Claudia Creque Educational Centre, of the 3 Fifth formers, all were successful in achieving the academic requirements, with 1 male student receiving honours.  One student is yet to complete the National Citizen Service.

For the Elmore Stoutt High School, of the 199 Fifth formers, 178 students were successful in achieving the academic requirements; this signifies an 89% pass rate.  Of those students, 3 students received high honours while 35 received honours.Forty-five students are yet to complete their National Citizen Service.

The following is a breakdown of the results for private schools.

For the BVI Seventh-day Adventist School, of the 36 Fifth formers, all were successful; this signifies a 100% pass rate.  Of those students, 1 student received high honours, while 14 received honours.  All students have completed the National Citizen Service and all documentation has been submitted to the Ministry of Education.

For the St. George’s Secondary School, of the 12 Fifth formers, all were successful; this signifies a 100% pass rate.  Of those students, 1 received high honours while 8 received honours.  All students have completed the National Citizenship Service Award and all documentation has been submitted to the Ministry of Education.

Even though our students have done well, there is still much room for improvement.

This year, the Ministry of Education has included in its results report two new lists: the Top 10 Mathematics Students and the Top 10 English Students.  I am delighted to share that of Top 10 Mathematics students, 9 are from the Elmore Stoutt High School and 1 is from the BVI SDA School.  I am pleased to announce that the top achiever in Mathematics is Rhevaun Leander Sprauve, a male student who hails from the Elmore Stoutt High School.

Of the Top 10 English Students, 3 are from the Bregado Flax Educational Centre, one is from the Claudia Creque Educational Centre, 3 are from the Elmore Stoutt High School, 1 is from the BVI SDA School and 2 are from St. George’s Secondary School.  I am also pleased to announce that the top achiever in English is Creightanya Rose Brewley, a female student who also hails from the Elmore Stoutt High School.

I must offer special congratulations to the Valedictorians and Salutatorians who have excelled above and beyond, achieving Grade Point Averages as high as 4.3, with the top student of the Territory hailing from the BVI SDA School, with an overall percentage pass rate of 91.72%, followed closely by two students from the Elmore Stoutt High School with GPAs of 91.03% and 90.25%.  Congratulations Zora Williams, Creightanya (cray-tan-ya) Brewley and Rhevaun Sprauve!

Of the 28 Fifth form students who were unsuccessful, there are 13 who qualify for the 6-month programme being offered by the Ministry of Education and Culture.  The 6-month programme was introduced during the 2013-2014 school year to provide another avenue for unsuccessful fifth form students to meet graduation requirements.  Students who require Mathematics and/or English to achieve graduation status will be allowed to attend classes in those two subjects, as part of the Alternative Secondary Education Programme (ASEP).  Classes will be held in the evenings and at the end of six months, these students will sit an examination.  Once students pass these examinations, they will receive their School Leaving Certificates.

Those students who do not qualify to attend the 6-month programme should contact the Examinations Officer within the Ministry of Education for further options. 

Do not see your failure as the end; see it as a speedbump on the road of success.  Pause to reflect, regroup and renew your attitude.  With God all things are possible, and I know that success is possible. 

Finally, I must also congratulate the administrators, teachers and parents who all had their roles to play in the success of each student.  It is only as a collective body that we can help our students to excel.  Together, let us continue to Create a Culture of Excellence.

Thank you!