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by pltm
(PLTM) - The challenges of children born to expatriate parents were once again raised in the House of Assembly (HoA), this time with Minister of Education and Culture, the Honourable Myron Walwyn complaining that they are having difficulties gaining entrance into schools due to policies.
“Since the hurricane in particular, the amount of children who are born in the BVI who can’t get into schools…I have to handle those matters on a daily basis myself. We have a situation where we have children who are born in the Territory, but their parents are not from here and it creates an immigration issue. We have to address that,” he stressed.
This matter, he said, is one of the protection of the right to education. “It is there in the Constitution,” he stated.
He continued to voice dissatisfaction with the situation, saying that there are “children who cannot get into school because they have to pay $25 to immigration to stay on their parents’ time.”
He pointed to a recent incident, saying, “I had a child who was sent home from school because of that same situation last week Thursday, and I have a lady coming to me tomorrow on that same matter. We cannot have that.”
The matter of children born to expatriates and the fees that they have to pay to remain in the Territory has been reviewed by Premier, the Honourable Dr. D. Orlando Smith. During a recent press conference, he told media operatives that he would be making his findings and decision on the matter in the coming weeks.
