Information Officer II
Dept. of Information & Public Relations
Telephone: 468- 2740
Email: shersmith@gov.vg
Press Release
Public Officers from a cross-section of agencies, recently participated in a workshop designed to strengthen the administrative data system for Early Childhood Development in the Territory.
The two day workshop held January 29-30, enabled the officers to engage in an interactive educational programme and identify areas in which the Virgin Islands need assistance in setting up an Early Childhood Development data system.
According to Acting Chief Education Officer, Mrs. Jillian Douglas- Phillip, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Health and Social Development are presently working to overcome the existing challenges being experienced in data management and create a more effective data management system. This she said will enable both ministries to be better prepared to formulate a policy framework and improve on the development of local early childhood education programmes.
Mrs. Douglas-Phillip added that the compilation of this statistical data will allow the ministries to make more informed decisions based on factual information and identify areas for improvement. She said that coming out of the discussions, it was identified that the Territory needs technical support, human resources and financial assistance to implement this system.
The programme was facilitated by Early Childhood Specialist at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Eastern Caribbean Office, Ms Shelly –Ann Harper and Ms. Sandra Agarrat, Programme Officer at the Department for International Development (DFID)-UNICEF- Safe guarding programme.
The Ministry of Education and Culture remains committed to working with regional agencies to enhance the Early Childhood Development programmes in the Territory.