Hon. Wheatley said he feels incredibly privileged to be minister of such a dynamic team and looks forward to making things better this year guided by the theme, “Soaring to Higher Heights of Excellence in Service to our Clients” for 2021.

“There is a real spirit of togetherness; it is like a family,” he said, adding, “Never take for granted the role that we play,” the minister said. He added, “A lot of the clients that we serve are the children that represent the future and certainly we have to put the best interest of the children at the forefront of our minds. This is why I like the part of the theme, ‘Service to our Clients’”.

Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Carolyn Stoutt Igwe said that in service to its clients, it was important for the ministry to highlight some of the talented students who have benefitted from education in the Territory.

Mrs. Igwe said the ministry hosted a soiree as part of its custom to commence the work year. This year’s activity she said featured a budding young entrepreneur who graduated from the culinary programme at the H Lavity Stoutt Community College and students of the culinary programme at the Virgin Islands School of Technical Studies.

The students expressed gratitude for the opportunity to showcase their talents and put what they learned in the classroom into practice.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture will continue to provide leadership and funding, develop policy and legislation, develop accountability frameworks and monitor performance for all education, youth, sports, library, cultural and rehabilitative matters.