New law would open door for med schools

Government wants to roll out the welcome mat for medical, technical and other institutions of higher education, Premier Dr. Orlando Smith said Thursday evening in the House of Assembly.

“It is really about inviting institutions to invite other people outside of the BVI to come here to get an education,” Dr. Smith said during the debate on the Higher Education Licensing Act.

The proposed law would set out the legal framework for licensing such schools, some of which have approached the government in the past, to operate in the territory, explained Deputy Premier Dr. Kedrick Pickering.

“We didn’t have a governance structure to be able to deal with these institutions,” Dr. Pickering said, adding that with the new law, the VI will have “a structure in place so if John Brown from Switzerland wants to open a medical school in the BVI and get it up and running, there is a legal structure to get the ball rolling.”

The bill calls for establishing a licensing board to review all applications; sets out fees for applications and renewals; and outlines acceptable international accrediting bodies.

Lawmakers will return to the House Monday, when they will likely wrap up their committee debate and vote on the bill.

See the Feb. 4, 2016 edition for full coverage.

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