Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jul 01, 2025

Gov’t funding for public service training steadily declining

Gov’t funding for public service training steadily declining

Governor John Rankin has raised concerns that government funding to train public servants has seen “a steady decline” over the last five years despite an expansion of the service in that same period.

“In 2016, $138,000 was provided for local training of the public service and then there was additional money for scholarships. In 2021, the provision in the BVI budget for training and public servants is $25,000 for almost 3,000 officials,” the governor stated.

“That is why I say that while I accept my responsibilities for public service, and I wanted to do all I can to assist the public service and provide what we all need and what ministers need and what the public needs, it requires more financial investment from the government, as well as whatever assistance the UK can provide,” he added.

Speaking to the Commission of Inquiry (COI) this week, Governor Rankin compared the funding provided by local government to that which the United Kingdom (UK) government has given to training the BVI’s public service.

UK pumped roughly £2 million for BVI training since 2018


Governor Rankin told the COI the UK government has funded several training programmes in different areas of the public sector in the territory. He noted that since 2018, they have contributed approximately £14.28 million and a total projected spend of £17.656 million at the end of this financial year to the territory.

The governor said not all of these funds have gone towards the public service. He noted that some of it went to environmental projects such as tackling stony coral tissue loss disease in the territory, among other things.

Nonetheless, Rankin said some elements of the monies contributed by the British government was specifically for public service capacity building and training.

“Although it is difficult to disaggregate these figures, and define what is precisely for training or what is wider work for the public service specifically related to capacity building and training, a figure of £2.14 million would be attributable to that,” he said.

“They (the funding used for public service training) have evolved, for example, public finance, management training. It involved IT information, and management kit provision, work on international health regulations, work on child exploitation, online protection, workforce disaster management capacity, [and] building all elements of public service responsibility,” Rankin added.

The governor was called to give evidence as the COI tries to determine whether there has been an abuse of office or other serious dishonesty by government officials in recent years.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
×