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Bahamian Politics Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM


Minister Fitzgerald: Disappointed and disgusted by Minnis’ statement on education
By Minister Fitzgerald
Jun 29, 2016 - 2:59:06 PM

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Nassau, Bahamas –  It is clear to me now as it was on Friday, June 17th when the Leader of the Opposition stood in the House of Assembly to make these same assertions that he is ignorant to the facts of the progress made in education. It is rather irresponsible of Dr. Minnis to create a public perception of education that is far from the truth. I am disappointed and disgusted by the article in today’s Tribune in which Dr. Minnis has made very careless and reckless statements regarding education.

We have worked extremely hard in education; including two members of his party, to allow Dr. Minnis to diminish what we have accomplished. He is misinformed and I suggest that before he makes any statement regarding education, he consult with former Minister of Education, Mr. Carl Bethel and/or the Hon. Hubert Chipman, shadow Minister of Education, who both sit on the Bipartisan National Education Political Committee.

A Shared Vision for Education 2030 is the blueprint for the future of education in The Bahamas. It is a policy document that was spoken very favorably of by both Mr. Carl Bethel and the Hon. Hubert Chipman; so much so, that the Mr. Bethel commended the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) for its commitment to this initiative. “The laudable aim of forging a non-partisan and shared vision for education has been a goal of successive Ministers of Education. I congratulate Minister Jerome Fitzgerald upon continuing this endeavour. It appears that we have now achieved, at the very least, a workable framework for further progress. The detailed steps necessary to re-imagine and implement a new, results-oriented and flexible, education system (able to respond to the individual needs of each student) will take the on-going goodwill of all social partners irrespective of any change in political circumstance.

Furthermore, I wish to make it abundantly clear to Dr. Minnis that the idea of building more schools is futile without the necessary foundation which is not a physical structure but data-driven decisions and programmes based on research. The Bahamas does not have a challenge of overcrowding in our schools.

As we enter the “silly season” where politics seem to overrule logic, common sense and intelligent dialogue, I encourage Dr. Minnis not to take on the persona of the season and portray himself in such a silly manner. I would appreciate that Dr. Minnis refrain from using education as a political football after all the work that we have done that has been recognized and celebrated locally by members of his own party, regionally and in the global education arena.

We are proud of the improvements and accomplishments during the past four years. The successes in education are far too numerous to be listed but most notable are:

· The implementation of The Bahamas High School Diploma

· Increased numeracy and literacy instruction in grades one through three

· Improvements in the GLAT, BJC & BGCSE results

· An increase in the number of public school students receiving scholarships to COB and abroad

· Marjorie Davis Institute for Special Education

· Greater emphasis on preschool education through the Preschool & Day Care Centre Council

As we focus on student achievement and ensuring that our students are provided with continued opportunities for academic, athletic and social success, I will not be distracted by Dr. Minnis. We are data-driven and goal focused and we will continue to work assiduously to ensure that we meet our widely important goal; which is to increase the rate of graduation from 50% to 85% by 2030 as outlined in A Shared Vision for Education 2030.

I strongly encourage Dr. Minnis to take the time to read the copy of A Shared Vision of Education 2030 that was given to him in the House of Assembly or to access it from the MoEST's website.

Dr. Minnis: PLP’s Education Failures


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