EdFest VI Opens To Transform Local Education
The Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports has officially launched EdFest VI 2026 at the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex. The week-long professional development initiative brings educators together to foster innovation, strengthen teaching practices, and enhance student outcomes across the Territory.
The Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports has officially launched EdFest VI 2026 at the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex, bringing educators from across the Territory together for a week of professional learning focused on strengthening teaching, inspiring excellence, and transforming education.
Formerly known as the Summer Institute, the newly reimagined EdFest VI is operating under the theme "Igniting Innovation. Transforming Education." The redesigned format places a stronger emphasis on collaboration, engagement, and actionable strategies that teachers can immediately apply in their classrooms throughout the 2026–2027 academic year.
Heida Selwood opened the conference by highlighting that meaningful educational reform happens through everyday interactions between teachers and students. She noted that while transformation can often sound distant and vast, it is realized one classroom and one relationship at a time when valuable resources reach dedicated educators.
Minister for Education, Youth Affairs and Sports Honourable Sharie B. de Castro connected the week's training to the Territory's broader vision of preparing children for purposeful lives rather than solely passing exams. Honourable de Castro commended several recent achievements across the school system, including gains in Grade 2 OECS assessments, improved CSEC performance, student robotics accomplishments, and the introduction of H.
Lavity Stoutt Community College's first bachelor's degree programme. She urged educators to resist complacency and continue leading through innovation. Keynote speaker Colin Gunthrope of Unlimited Potential challenged participants to embrace their role in shaping future leaders, entrepreneurs, and public servants.
He introduced the concept of "upstream thinking," urging teachers to address the root causes of student behavioral challenges while upholding dignity. Gunthrope also emphasized the importance of the classroom's "unwritten curriculum," which communicates safety, worth, and belonging through an educator's presence and tone.
EdFest VI continues through Friday, August 28, offering workshops on curriculum delivery, classroom management, assessment, inclusive education, educational technology, STEAM, literacy, mathematics, safeguarding, and student wellbeing. The ministry aims for the training to translate directly into higher instructional standards and positive learning environments across the Virgin Islands.
Primary source: BVI Government