The Tribune

IT remains unclear how many Dominican students are expected to temporarily move to the Bahamas, with Education Minister Jeffery Lloyd yesterday suggesting only “about four, maybe five” have expressed an interest in accepting the Minnis administration’s offer to relocate.

Mr Lloyd said processes are underway in Dominica and here in the Bahamas respectively, with a view to properly register students interested in relocating and identifying schools capable of accepting them.

The South Beach MP insisted that once these and several other important factors are concluded, students that are approved, will start travelling to the Bahamas.

“I don’t have any confirmed numbers, the latest that I have heard is that about four, maybe five that have expressed an interest in coming to the Bahamas,” Mr Lloyd told reporters before heading into a Cabinet meeting Tuesday.

“Now there is a process, okay. Firstly, the Dominican government has got to be satisfied that its citizens are going to a place where they can feel satisfied and comfortable that they are going to be protected and that their matriculation is going to continue in accordance with the standards of Dominica,” he added.

“They have no difficulty in that.”

“So there is a registration process that is going on in Dominica, and this is involving the government of Dominica, as well as the Teachers Union in Dominica.”

“Then of course once that is completed there, they will obviously contact us, and we will arrange with those family members the issues of immigration, how long are they going to be here (and) how long with the schools that would be accepting them.”

“Those schools have already expressed an interest, I will not identify them, and they are prepared to accommodate them as long as the due diligence is completed in Dominica,” Mr Lloyd said.

Asked to clarify what he meant by “due diligence”, Mr Lloyd said the Dominican government wants to ensure that its students are accepted by the Bahamian government via immigration requirements and that the schools accepting them, are institutions approved and sanctioned by the Bahamas government.

The issue of Dominicans temporarily relocating to the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Maria has generated wide and intense public discourse, with many Bahamians taking issue with the government’s decision to offer aid.

Earlier this month, Free National Movement backbencher, Pineridge MP Rev Frederick McAlpine recommended that wealthy Cabinet ministers take money from their own pockets to contribute to the Dominica’s restoration efforts, rather than give its citizens safe haven in the Bahamas.

He also recommended the government pay Bahamians to work in Dominica and help with restoration instead of allowing storm victims to temporarily relocate here, as he suggested they may never leave once they get used to a better standard of living.

His comments have since been branded by some as xenophobic and racist. Moreover, many within the FNM have spoken out against the critics.

Last week, Immigration Brent Symonette confirmed that no new immigration policies will need to be enacted to accommodate citizens of Dominica here in the Bahamas.

Mr Symonette, who was a part of the government’s delegation to Dominica in the wake of Hurricane Maria, said his office was considering the issuance of “short-term visitor visas or other types”.