Minister of Education, Science and Technology, the Honourable Jerome Fitzgerald addressed members of the Ernest T. Strachan Advanced Toastmasters Club 7108 on the many initiatives undertaken by the Ministry since he assumed office. (Photo by Dorlan Curtis)

Nassau, Bahamas - In his pursuit to strengthen public private partnerships and improve the perception of public schools, The Minister of Education, Science and Technology, the Hon. Jerome Fitzgerald graciously addressed the Ernest T. Strachan Advanced Toastmasters Club 7108 on Wednesday, 17th September, 2014. Under the theme, “A New Year, A New Dawn in Education!” Minister Fitzgerald took the opportunity to inform those in attendance of the paradigm shifts that have occurred since he became the Minister.

In an attempt to bring balance to the curriculum offering, he mentioned that there were very little options and opportunities for those who were not academically inclined to succeed. According to the Minister, “the key objective was to put a greater emphasis on the fifty percent of students performing below grade level.” He noted that improving those at the bottom of the academic pole will undoubtedly have positive effects on the country; “as the level of education improves so do the social conditions.” Research revealed that approximately fifty percent of twelfth graders leaving school each year do not meet the graduation requirements.

This then led the Minister to share the strategies that have been devised to mitigate the continuance of this unfortunate trend. He then introduced the National High School Diploma (NHSD) programme to his audience and stated that for the first time in more than a decade, a standard for the NHSD had been agreed upon. He also outlined the criteria to obtain the NHSD:

• Attain four BJCs inclusive of Mathematics, English Language, a Science and a Social Science by the end of ninth grade;
• Complete a minimum of twenty-seven credit hours between tenth and twelfth grades;
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 over the three years;
• Complete thirty hours of Community Service;
• Complete twenty hours of Job Readiness Training and
• Maintain 90% or higher attendance and punctuality over the three year period, grades 10-12.

Minister Fitzgerald then mentioned that criteria selected for the NHSD programme was not done in a vacuum but that a team of senior ministry officials traveled to Finland and Canada and will be traveling to Singapore before year’s end. The purpose of these trips is to allow them to glean best practices from countries that have well-established and effective NHSD programmes. To this end he stated that this year’s tenth graders will pilot the program and will be the first to graduate with a NHSD in 2017.

To ensure that those in attendance got a more comprehensive overview, he also mentioned other initiatives that will work in tandem with the NHSD to ensure that administrators and teachers are properly prepared and well equipped to execute this initiative. He spoke of the revising of the career path for senior administrators and professional development, training and re-training through the newly formed Mable Walker Professional Development Institute. Additional initiatives are the establishment of an Achievement Unit to track the performance and academic progress of students, particularly those requiring intervention and lastly, parental involvement where a more friendly, engaging and accommodating attitude is extended to parents.

Sadly, the public is unaware of the hard work and exemplary accomplishment of the Ministry of Education Science and Technology. Too often the negative overshadows the positive. In his commitment to promote a positive profile of the public school and its stakeholder, he again highlighted some of the successful initiatives that were undertaken within the past year. Firstly, he shared that last year, the MOEST, through its Special Services Section embarked on an initiative to screen every first grade child entering the public school as a part of the Ministry’s intervention strategy. Secondly, he mentioned the upgrade of technology in public schools ensuring that all schools were outfitted with internet connectivity, adequate computers and whiteboards and the necessary training needed to integrate technology into the classrooms. Finally, he noted the conversion of the former Our Lady’s School into a state of the art special needs school. The audience seems stunned by the many positive achievements outlined by Minister Fitzgerald.

The Minister also touched on the Bi-Partisan Educational Committee who will create a Shared Vision for Education 2030, which will be the blueprint for educational policy for the next fifteen years. The Minister stated that “there must be a policy position to advance education devoid of political interference.”

As he concluded, he was emphatic that “we must move education from a priority to a core value; where everything begins and ends with education,” because this is indeed “A New Year, A New Dawn in Education!” The future of our country depends on the state of education and “the more our students succeed, the more our country will succeed.”