ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, October 12th, 2012 – In what the Minister for Education and Culture Honourable Myron V. Walwyn described as “a bird's eye view of the industry and a cultural understanding of its importance to the Territory”, students will now learn about the Virgin lslands financial services through the locally authored textbook, “Financial Services Demystified.”
Speaking at the book launch on October 11, Honourable Walwyn said, “Today marks a new era in the learning resources of our education system. Under the leadership of our Premier, Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith, this Government has decided to become captains of our destiny and chart the way forward for our existence. By the launching of this text, Financial Services Demystified, written by our very own, Ayana Hull, we have decided to record our history, ourselves.”
The Minister said that as a Territory we must protect the industry and ensure that our young people are competent and ready to assume jobs, careers and ownership in the Territory’s largest industry.
He said, “In the Virgin Islands, this industry accounts for 66 percent of our total revenue, seconded by our Tourism Industry. It is our responsibility to educate them (youth) and to ensure that Virgin Islanders will be there in the future to protect the industry for Virgin Islanders and that our people also profit from the workings of this industry.”
The Minister said that this generation must be prepared to seize the opportunities. “As Virgin Islanders and residents, we can no longer be content to have the expertise that is needed in the financial services sector be flown in and the earnings from the industry be flown out.”
The Minister said he makes no apology for any investment in the future of the youth and this Territory. “If because of the investment in creating this book, more of our young people will learn and gain interest in our financial services industry, the investment is well worth it.”
He continued, “If because of having this text our educators will be given expert assistance in teaching our youth about our financial services industry, the investment is well worth it,” adding, “If because of the investment this Government decided to make by pursuing the writing of this book, when I am a few years older and resigned to watching the beauty of the Virgin Islands from my rocking chair, and our banks, trust companies and insurance companies are being well run by the students of today, this investment would be well worth it.”
Local author Ms. Ayana Hull in her response said, “I am happy that we took the opportunity to do it. I do not subscribe to the mentally that it is better never than late. We are late, we are 20 years late, but it is better for us to do it now than to have never done anything at all.”
She revealed that after eight years experience in the industry and hearing about the commissioning of a book, she was moved to author it. She explained how she rallied some colleagues to co-edit the textbook to be used in schools to raise up the next generation of BVIslanders to take their place in the next 10 to 20 years.
“That was the effect of it. That was the essence of it. We didn’t have the opportunity to be taught that at the high school level but if we can do the generation after us one better, by helping them to understand it earlier, then we would have satisfied some aspect of our responsibility in passing on the baton,” Hull said.
Ms. Hull presented copies of the book to the representatives from the Territory’s secondary schools, the BVI Library Services, Members of the House of Assembly and the book’s co-editors and contributors.
The launching of “Financial Services Demystified” is in keeping with the Ministry of Education and Culture endeavours to “Create a Culture of Excellence” by educating students to career opportunities in the Territory’s largest industry.
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