British Virgin IslandsEducationRegional BVI educators among the highest paid in the region by Barbados Today 17/11/2024 written by Barbados Today 17/11/2024 1 min read A+A- Reset Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 984 Premier and Minister of Finance Dr Natalio Wheatley says educators in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) now rank among the highest-paid in the region following a recent compensation review. During his recent budget address, Wheatley highlighted that the starting salary for qualified teachers in the BVI now stands at US$55,146 per year (J$8.8 million) — a figure that surpasses the starting salary in the nearby United States Virgin Islands (USVI), which stands at approximately US$50,974. The difference amounts to an annual advantage of US$4,172 for BVI teachers. “This competitive salary supports our efforts to attract and retain talented educators, a critical factor in the success of our students and the system as a whole,” Wheatley stated. The adjustment follows urgent appeals in early 2023 by Minister of Education Sharie de Castro, who raised concerns about alarmingly high resignation rates among teachers. At the time, de Castro pointed out the disparity between salaries in the BVI and neighbouring regions. “It is understandable that low compensation for teachers discourages our own from entering the profession,” de Castro said at the time, emphasising the link between competitive pay and retaining high-quality educators. You Might Be Interested In Ross University opens Barbados campus UWI supports innovation for regional growth St George Secondary closed next week She added that low salaries had forced many teachers to take on second or third jobs, detracting from their ability to focus on teaching and shaping the territory’s future workforce. She argued that increased pay would reduce turnover, keep teachers in the classroom, and elevate the quality of education in the territory. SOURCE: CMC Barbados Today Stay informed and engaged with our digital news platform. The leading online multimedia news resource in Barbados for news you can trust. You may also like Survivor of gang attack on Haitian journalists says colleagues were cut down... 26/12/2024 Suriname’s ex-President Desi Bouterse dead at 79 25/12/2024 Jamaica rattled by earthquake that hit Cuba 23/12/2024