Panelists Say U.S. Colonial Educational System is Diminishing Self-Identity of Territorial Citizens

Panelists from U.S. territories, including the USVI, Puerto Rico, and Guam, discuss challenges in education, highlighting issues such as outdated infrastructure, curriculum misalignment, and the impact of poverty

Panelists from several U.S. territories gathered in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Wednesday to discuss challenges in education and efforts to address them, all through the lens of the territories’ colonial relationship with the United States. The discussion was a collaborative effort between Right to Democracy, the Radical Education & Advocacy League, and local public broadcaster WTJX.

Jessica Samuel, co-founder of the Radical Education and Advocacy League in the USVI, described the "three main buckets" of issues facing education in the territory: infrastructure, curriculum, and quality of life. She noted that bureaucratic barriers exist due to the "cumbersome nature" of the territory's relationship with the federal government, and highlighted how the 2017 hurricanes left dilapidated and ruined educational infrastructure behind, some of which students are still forced to utilize seven years onwards.