Madam Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to update this Honourable House and the entire territory about the Ministry’s commitment to continuous professional development for educators to support the development of skills, the expansion of knowledge and the efficacy of instruction. The theme for the 2022-2023 school year is “Virgin Islands Education: Moving Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead.”

Madam Speaker, PowerSchool is the Student Information System used by the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports to digitize and store students’ data. PowerSchool is an internet-based student information system that is used in our public schools.  It functions either independently or with other computer applications to provide educators with robust tools for viewing, storing, and retrieving students’ data.

Madam Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to update this Honourable House and this Community on Innovation Week 2022.  The Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs, and Sports is committed to redesigning and reimagining the concept of education to meet the needs of diverse students in our classrooms and schools.

Madam Speaker, you will recall that with the closure of the Althea Scatliffe Primary School on June 16th, 2022, the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports moved with haste to find the best solution to house the students of that school to enable education continuity. It was proposed and announced by the Ministry that the best solution was to use the spaces available at the Enis Adams Primary School and the Francis Lettsome Primary School to house the students after the spaces have been rehabilitated and retrofitted.

I am presently at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, as a key player in the representation of overseas territories and small-island developing states, whose livelihoods are increasingly affected by the effects of climate change.

Good day and God’s blessings upon the people of the Virgin Islands.

I take this opportunity to publicly congratulate Governor Bryan and Lieutenant Governor Roach on their re-election.  I also take this opportunity to congratulate all other government officials elected.

Greetings to everyone here in the Virgin Islands and tuning in around the world. It is a pleasure to open Financial Services Week 2022.  This is the time we take to acknowledge the importance of our financial services industry, not just to the BVI and its economy, but also to recognise the outstanding role that the industry and its stakeholders continue to play locally, regionally, and internationally.

Honourable Leader of the Opposition and Representative for the 3^rd District, Honourable Julian Fraser. Mrs. Lisa Penn-Lettsome, Chair of the Constitutional Review Commission.

Commissioners Dr. Charles Wheatley and Dr. Reverand Melvin Turnbull, we are grateful for your presence here. And I am also grateful to the media for being here to capture this important event.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to report to this Honourable House that the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) new driver’s license software is up and running.

Mr. Speaker, I am here today to speak about the issue most affecting the youth of my Territory.