Director of the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) Jasen H. Penn, left, said the initiative is preparing the wider community for greater resilience, which ultimately means a more prepared Virgin Islands. Fourth from left is Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7). Photo: GIS

The latest iteration of the BVI SMART Schools project, steered by DDM, builds on the established partnership with MEYAS by adding the expertise of Green VI, H. Lavity Stoutt Community College and the BVI Red Cross to reshape the Territory’s education infrastructure with resilience at its core. Photo: GIS

The collaboration between the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports (MEYAS) and the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) is being expanded with the support of the Resilience, Sustainable Energy, and Marine Biodiversity (RESEMBID) Programme funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France.

The latest iteration of the BVI SMART Schools project, steered by DDM, builds on the established partnership with MEYAS by adding the expertise of Green VI, H. Lavity Stoutt Community College and the BVI Red Cross to reshape the Territory’s education infrastructure with resilience at its core.

"RESEMBID’s financial support has facilitated a partnership to enhance our efforts at improving student safety and fostering a culture of resilience,” Mr Penn stated in a Government Information Services (GIS) press release on January 24, 2024.

€1.3M EU funding

The BVI SMART Schools initiative is funded by the European Union at a cost of €1.3M over two years and seeks to make 14 schools across the Territory safer, healthier, and greener.

According to GIS, the project has conducted comprehensive school assessments, provided essential guidance to individual schools, and initiated campus community emergency response training, strengthening preparedness within these educational institutions.

"What our students and teachers are learning prepares our wider community for greater resilience, which ultimately means a more prepared Virgin Islands,” Mr Penn said. 

Shifting the community’s idea of being 'resilient'

RESEMBID Senior Programme Manager - Resilience, Edward Turvill applauded the focus on schools and students, saying, "Education stands as the bedrock of change. What we are seeing with projects in the BVI is a great effort to shift the community’s idea of what it means to be resilient and responsive to climate change.”

Schools participating in this iteration of the BVI SMART Schools initiative include Claudia Creque Educational Centre, Alexandria Maduro Primary, Joyce Samuel Primary, Bregado Flax Educational Centre Primary and Secondary Division, Francis Lettsome Primary, Leonora Delville Primary, Ivan Dawson Primary, Ebenezer Thomas Primary, Enis Adams Primary, Enid Scatliffe Pre-Primary, Willard Wheatley Primary, Robinson O’Neal Memorial Primary and Elmore Stoutt High School.