Minister for Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture, Dr. the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley is encouraging students to continue to prepare for their School Based Assessments (SBAs) while at home.

Dr. the Honourable Wheatley in a statement on March 18 encouraged students to use this time to continue preparations of their SBAs and content preparation.

“The Ministry of Education will engage further planning for online teaching and learning in the event that the mandatory closure of schools persists beyond the Easter break,” the minister stated.

Cabinet agreed on March 17, that all public and private schools, pre-schools, day-care centres and extra-curricular activities were to be closed with effect from Thursday, March 19 until Friday April 3. Students will then have their Easter break beginning on Monday, April 6 until Sunday, April 19.

The  precautionary measures to close schools was made on the advice of officials who say that with minimal containment and under ideal conditions, one confirmed case of COVID-19 could lead to the infection of 4000 persons in 4 weeks.

Teachers will however report to school for the rest of the week to prepare work for students and complete the term’s syllabus.

The final grades for the Lent term will be calculated based on assignments graded to date. Projects or other assignments due on or after Thursday, March 19 will be carried forward to the Trinity term.

Dr. the Honourable Wheatley added, “When it comes to regional examinations, the Caribbean Examinations Council is working on establishing the most suitable time for CPEA, CSEC, and CAPE exams.”

Online teaching will be heavily used during this period using platforms including Cisco Wbex, CXC, Notemaster, Flow Study, Google Classroom and Class Dojo.

The Minister for Education further stated that the ministry is holding discussions with telecommunications companies, potential donors, and other entities, in hopes of expanding access to technological resources and the internet. Further updates in this regard are forthcoming.

Students are still reminded to practice proper hygiene while at home and always wash hands before eating, touching mouth, eyes and nose. Parents are urged to monitor their child’s health and follow guidelines suggested by the Ministry of Health and Social Development.

Persons can visit the Government’s Facebook page at bvi.gov.vg. to view or read the Honourable Minister for Education’s statement.