NASSAU, The Bahamas -- Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie said one of the reasons that the Bahamas Learning Channel is important is that there will always be students on one of the country’s many islands that “we have to reach” and be provided with the opportunities to learn via the most technically-advanced methods possible and in ways that can reach those who may have difficulties with more traditional educational techniques.

“When Minister (Jerome) Fitzgerald approached me with this ambitious plan to launch a 24-hour learning channel, I was rather intrigued,” Prime Minister Christie said during the Official Launch of the Bahamas Learning Channel (BLC), on October 27, 2015, at The College of The Bahamas Performing Arts Centre.

“I realized that could, in fact, be an answer to meeting the needs of those students who are challenged by traditional modes of teaching,” Prime Minister Christie said. “I am not here asserting that this is the only option; but it is certainly one of the many strategies and methods of reaching those students who are not traditional learners.”

The Bahamas Learning Channel, which the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has termed a “crucial programme for distance education”, has almost 20 locally-produced programmes, such as the game shows “Science Bowl” and “GLATT Attack”, “Gary the Explorer”, “Tell Me a Story”, “Once Upon a Time” and “Parent Talk”, all showcasing students, teachers and education stakeholders.

According to the Ministry in its “Bahamian Education Today: Building a Proud Nation”, the primary aim of the channel is to provide “lifelong learning for all Bahamians” through specific informational, instructional and motivational programming delivered through the medium of television.

This initiative, the Ministry continued, “seeks to further the mission of making educational opportunities available for all, through programming geared towards the ‘special or exceptional populations’ in our schools and community at large.”

Prime Minister Christie and Education Minister, Jerome Fitzgerald arrive at the launch event. (Photo: Bahamas Ministry of Education)

Also, the Ministry noted that BLC addresses the critical and challenging issues of improving student performance, enhancing teaching and learning strategies, innovatively integrating technology in Bahamian classrooms and educating citizens for a competitive global economy.

BLC is slated to air on ZNS Channel 11 Monday to Friday 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays mornings; on Cable Channel 12 Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.; and on the Parliamentary Channel (Cable Channel 40) Monday to Saturday 7 a.m. to midnight, or whenever Parliament or the Senate is not in session or being rebroadcasted.

Prime Minister Christie pointed out that the idea of the Bahamas Learning Channel was first proposed by then Minister of Education the Hon. Alfred Sears.

“It was then, as it is now, an innovative and certainly groundbreaking concept,” Prime Minister Christie said. “It was a tool that would allow a multiplicity of Bahamians to showcase their talents while presenting educational and informational content in a creative and captivating manner.”

He added: “We, as a country, must do everything in our power to ensure that the education we provide is relevant. This is ever so true against the background of the global influence of cultural and learning systems, which are now available at the click of a button through radio, television, the internet and other media which brings the world into our living rooms.”

Prime Minister Christie noted that it was not the case 50 or even 30 years ago; but it is now an “ever-present reality”.

“Yes, the choice words in the global education community this year are ‘quality’ and ‘relevant’,” he said. “We must not only provide an education; but an education of a superior standard that is applicable, relatable, and pertinent to each student no matter their interest, no matter their ability or socio-economic background or career pursuits.”

Prime Minister Christie said that, additionally, it must be ensured that the education provided today will create opportunities for tomorrow and position the nation’s students for success in “this global world environment”.

“Interestingly, around the world, a renewed focus is being placed on education and packaging it in a manner that makes it appealing to students,” he said. “The Bahamas Learning Channel is packaging education in a manner that draws in its viewer and while it is stimulating, it is also educational. It is a strategic way to transfer information so that students are intrigued, are captivated, stimulated and not bored.”