Education legislation will ‘bring people here’ – Hon Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull
This is the view of Representative for the Second District, Honourable Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull who was speaking on the debate on the Higher Education Licencing Act during the continuation of the Sixth Sitting of the First Session of the Third House of Assembly last evening January 28, 2016.
The piece of legislation would allow for foreign educational entities to come to the Virgin Islands and obtain licencing and accreditation to be able to offer a range of educational products here.
Honourable Turnbull said the legislation would bode well for the territory not only in education but also in many economic spheres.
He said the territory is leading on a number of fronts including financial services, medical care and tourism and that education is the key to open the door of opportunities in all of these areas.
“Being able to offer this higher education is opening the arena that we are not just satisfied with financial services or tourism but to develop other emerging industries.”
He said the new education regime will take the “glass ceiling” off what the territory currently experiences and noted that far too long the territory has sat on ideas and the possibility of what may be and never moved to what could have taken the VI further.
“I believe that I am standing in the right place with the right government who understands not only what it means to have a foresight but also to act on the ideas and thoughts that would move us forward,” he said.
Noting that the late Chief Minister H. Lavity Stoutt had vision in building the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College,HOn Turnbull said the new legislation seeks to pick up from where the college leaves off and create avenues for even higher learning opportunities in a range of disciplines.
“Not everyone is able to attend college in the UK or in Canada or in the United States. But being able to pass this bill would set the foundation for people to travel from the Caribbean and elsewhere to reside and not only just get an education but contribute to the overall economy and well-being of this territory,” Hon Turnbull argued.
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19 Responses to “Education legislation will ‘bring people here’ – Hon Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull”
I'm also curious as to what exactly does the Honorable Turnbull mean when he says the BVIs lead in medical care.
You so busy trying to bring down the man with your can't spell ass. His airs?
Don't think much though was put into this idea. Go back to the drawing board.
They have a proven reputation for education.
It is very cheap to live there
It is already happening for European customers.
Bvi has one of the best education systems that has help produced highly skilled individuals. This would not have happened without the foundation that was layed in the BVI
When bigotry and xenophobia becomes less common in these islands and the so called outsiders or immigrants with genuine skills to contribute are welcomed and embraced only then will the BVI truly become that great little nation.
Give the young man a break, he is still growing and learning. However, he must maintain the decorum of open-mindedness, research and listen more, while remaining humble. And of course, whenever you are confronted with situations with the slightest inclination of non-transparency and unaccountability, pull your colleagues aside and express your concern. If the behaviour does not subside nor corrected, then do the right thing and not support it. Exhibit transparency in all your doings and harbour no room for public suspicions. You are after all, a public representative responsible for our best interest. With this in mind, you will be fine.
Similarly, we need to discontinue calling our youths, “lazy”. We are the ones failing our youths. If we really care about our youth, why not introduce mechanisms to help our youth develop their talents; or in some cases, discover their passions. When our youths discover their passion, they put their hearts and souls into it. They release every bit of their energy, ambition and natural abilities into it. Look around and observe the various talents in the community, in all genres and professions. What we need to do is continue to exposure our youths to the unlimited options of possibilities that they can engage in to become productive and contributing citizens of our country; then assist them with the necessary tools, resources, and mentorship required to develop their skills, direction, and talents.
Likewise, instead of us continuing on our path with the traditional linear approach in educating and teaching our children, “that one-way/one-size should fit all.” Why shouldn’t we embrace new paradigms in Education and design our curriculum around “The theory of Multiple Intelligences and others,” starting from the entry levels up.
Look at the last set of the world’s game changing innovations; they did not come out of the traditional process of thinking; they came out of “Disruptive Innovations,” from digital technology to Nano-technology, to medicine and engineering.
Vision is about building new models that make the existing/played-out models obsolete.
Moreover, let’s recruit a team of our highly qualified and certainly competent members at our H. L. Stoutt Community College to lead and spearhead the feasibility studies, and pay them fairly for their services. “Stop undermining and underestimating our capabilities.” I am certain that the bill would not even come close to the hundreds of thousands of dollars we continue to waste paying these consultants.
Contrary to popular beliefs, they are highly trained in quantitative, qualitative, and longitudinal studies for that matter; and they can source and/or conduct any required study that our country requires, without fears of biases or contamination, in which to make informed and educated decisions about the future direction of our country. Our elders obtain warned us, “Waste not, Want Not.”
ON ANOTHER ISSUE, but just as relevant, since we are constantly recycling retirees instead of sourcing them for voluntary services in our community- and limiting opportunities for the transitional group.
What exit strategy and transitional process do we have in place from our retirees for years of paid service? At the least, they should be able to recommend a team member who can take up the mantle. We need to discontinue calling our people unqualified and incompetent. If our retirees cannot readily present this basic recommendation, then, they have failed us in their duties; and thus our criteria for KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) require some form of readjustment.
Our People! We must stop burying our heads in the soil, while we continue to pretend that “all is well.” We cannot continue to ignore these issues plaguing our country and sit-back and allow them to be unaddressed. Our future generations are at stake at the hands of a few.