Teacher vacancies in the British Virgin Islands have been described as alarming with the Ministry of Education faced with an uphill task of filling these teaching positions ahead of the 2023-2024 academic school year.
Minister for Education Hon. Sharie De Castro made the disclosure during her recent appearance on the local show Talking Points.
She said that recent retirements and competitive salaries from neighbouring islands have further contributed to the issue that has existed in the territory for several years.
In addition to low salaries, De Castro said that poor infrastructure of schools and teacher burnout are other main factors contributing to the many teaching vacancies that exist in the territory.
The education minister also highlighted challenges in teacher quality that exist in the BVI and spoke on how the recently implemented mandatory professional training will seek to fill the gaps to improve the overall quality of teaching.