Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Refurbished BFEC School Handed Over

Refurbished BFEC School Handed Over

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Hon. Natalio 'Sowande' Wheatley said he is part of a government that cares about its people and has assured residents of Virgin Gorda (VG) that they are sensitive to their needs.

The Deputy Premier’s words were made during the handing over ceremony for the rehabilitated Bregado Flax Educational Centre Secondary Division (BFEC) on Friday, September 17, that was damaged during the 2017 hurricanes.

“Sister islands often feel forgotten, ignored, they feel like no one hears their cries, but I have to tell you, and I can say this from the bottom of my heart, I am a part of a government that cares. I am part of a government that cares, and I care.”

He continued: “And, when I talk about the government, I am not just talking about elected persons, I am talking about the Permanent Secretaries, I am talking about the Chief Education Officer, I am talking about everybody in the ministry, we care about you. We don’t want to see you suffering in inadequate conditions.”

His comments come following protest action on Jost Van Dyke only days earlier, where residents were demonstrating against the bad condition of the sole educational facility on the island that children and teachers were forced to utilize.

Since then, the minister, along with the Premier and other government officials, met with residents to chart a way forward, where remedial works would commence immediately, and school would resume on Monday September 20.

The Education Minister said further said that challenges must be solved by confronting them head-on.

“We faced the hurricanes, we faced COVID, we have challenging circumstances that we are confronting, but to solve those challenges, we are not going to solve them by shifting blame; we are not going to solve those challenges by off weight blame by us looking good, and somebody else looks bad. To confront these challenges, we have to stare them directly in the face we have to look at ourselves in the mirror to be willing to work harder," Hon. Wheatley said.

In the meantime, Ninth District Representative and Minister for Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration Hon. Vincent Wheatley said the reconstruction of the school “shows our commitment to the development of our country through our young people.”

“It is important that you know that you are now in one of the most sophisticated schools in the British Virgin Islands here at Bregado Flax, and it is only fitting that this edifice be here in the Ninth District because here is where the first capital was; so we have been leading for a long time, and it will not change anytime soon,” he added.

He further mentioned that the school has a top-notch solar system as well as modern learning tools such as promethium boards.
He continued: “It is a beautiful building, and I am going to ask you, students, please, please take care of this building. One of the things that I noticed when I was here was the students were fanning a lot; they say the rooms are quite hot. Well, I can assure you today that help is on the way; shortly we are going to start installing air conditioning (A.C.)’s in certain classrooms. They will not be done all at once, but we will be starting shortly, installing A.C.’s.”

He said four will be installed in the next two weeks.

Other Plans


The District Representative also highlighted other plans in store for the school.

“It is hoped that within the next few months, we will be breaking ground so we can give this campus the full use of a secondary school so we can bring more classes and more subjects into this campus and issue a brand new, much talked about primary school; that too is in the works.”

He said he has already spoken to his Permanent Secretary to get on with the land acquisition and “hopefully it will be done before this year is out so then we can say “yes we can now break ground”. The funding is already in place; the design is there, so we can move forward in short order. It has to happen, to have these two campuses here has been spoken about for a very long time and is time to stop the talk and get on with the action.”

Premier and Minister for Finance Hon. Andrew Fahie, who also delivered remarks, said, “Throughout the history of these Virgin Islands, no administration as a brand has focused more on its people than the Virgin Islands Party governments.”

He explained: “It was the VIP Government under the late, great Hon. Lavity Stoutt that championed education for our people by ensuring we had a robust secondary programme where all had access to secondary education, and later, he championed the building of the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College. It was the VIP Government under the leadership of R. T. O’Neal, that ensured that Bregado Flax Educational Centre, under the VIP came into existence and also the H.L. Stoutt Community Campus on Virgin Gorda.”

The rehabilitation works were partly funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), FLOW and UNITE BVI.

Construction works commenced in May 2020 when the $1.8 million contract was signed with Quality Construction.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
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
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×