BVI Educators Complete OECS Digital Curriculum
A core group of Virgin Islands teachers have finished an intensive week of training on the new digital OECS Harmonised Primary Curriculum, part of the OECS PEARL Project. The training prepares local trainers to support pilot implementation at three BVI primary schools ahead of a territory-wide rollout planned for September.
Educators in the Virgin Islands have completed an intensive week of training on the digital OECS Harmonised Primary Curriculum, a regional initiative developed under the OECS PEARL Project (Programme for Educational Advancement and Relevant Learning). The curriculum, which covers Kindergarten through Grade 6 and all four core subject areas, is designed to modernise classroom instruction across Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) member territories.
It emphasises 21st-century competencies — critical thinking, creativity, technological fluency and civic engagement — and incorporates digital tools, including artificial intelligence features, to support lesson planning, assessment and personalised learning. Chief Education Officer Orlandette Crabbe said the Virgin Islands was part of the curriculum’s development from the outset, with local educators serving on development, enrichment and assessment teams.
Crabbe said the programme aligns with the Territory’s STEAM mandate and will increase collaboration, creativity and communication in BVI classrooms while giving teachers the digital support they need. The week-long workshop brought together participants from the BVI as well as visiting curriculum support officers from Grenada and St.
Trainers from the Virgin Islands will support a phased pilot in three local schools: Alexandrina Maduro Primary, Leonora Delville Primary and Bregado Flax Educational Centre Primary Division. Over the next six months these trainers will work directly with teachers at the pilot sites to refine practice and prepare for the official rollout scheduled for September.
Project Manager Rafer Gordon described the new curriculum as one of the most significant recent advances for education in the region. He noted that the platform enables teachers to generate lesson plans and assessments directly, freeing up classroom time for richer student engagement.
Gordon also highlighted that more than 150 educators from eight OECS member states contributed as writers, reviewers and enrichers, creating a curriculum that is both harmonised and reflective of Caribbean contexts. Lucia underscored the project as an example of OECS integration in action, saying shared resources and best practices will help smaller territories like the BVI build capacity more quickly.
With training complete, the BVI education team will finalise implementation timelines, monitoring and support mechanisms for the pilot schools. For parents and teachers, the initiative promises more digitally supported, personalised learning in primary classrooms and marks a key step in the Territory’s broader education transformation agenda.
Primary source: Guavaberry