The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

EDUCATION Minister Jeffrey Lloyd said he is “very satisfied” his ministry has provided students access to quality education during the coronavirus pandemic.

His comment came a day after the head of Bahamas Union of Teachers said some students are currently “inadequately prepared” to sit the BJC and BGCSE exams, which are set to begin next week.

Union President Belinda Wilson said on Tuesday that a decrease in class time and student attendance are reasons why some students are not prepared for the exams. She said the hybrid model “does not lend to quality teaching as some schools have seven periods per day with additional subjects being taught each day but less class time”. Thus, the time allocated for face-to-face teaching is insufficient for BJC and BGCSE preparation.

The hybrid model was instituted for public schools in Abaco, Eleuthera, Exuma and New Providence to return to the classroom in February as schools on those islands have been unable to do face-to-face learning since October.

Yesterday, Mr Lloyd stressed that only these four islands did not have face-to-face instruction while other islands did have in-person learning.

He told The Tribune: “Secondly, for those islands in which there were no face-to-face instructions but virtual, the Ministry of Education along with many of our corporate partners and social and community organisations made available to those students, particularly the ones who are in desperate need (of) devices and internet access, our teachers made themselves available far beyond the usual extension of their daily responsibility, including after school and on weekends.”

He also said: “It is the ministry’s responsibility, the government’s responsibility, to be sure that every student in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas has access to quality education. I’m very satisfied that we have provided that.

“There’s also a personal responsibility in the part of the student and …..family responsibility in the part of the parent and their relatives. We have done what we’re supposed to do and we have done it, in my estimation, considering the circumstances, excellent.”

He also said the exams are not mandatory. Those who do not feel prepared in a given year to take those exams can sit them next year. He said it would be unfair to deny those students who are ready and want to take the exams this year.

The minister announced last month that the national exams will be held between April 13 through June 25. As of March 12, there were 5,087 students registered for the Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) exams, while 9,382 candidates were registered for the Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) tests.