The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

DONORS pledged about $500,000 at the launch of a new education foundation on Tuesday, less than one percent of the $300m Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Science and Technology Chester Cooper says his ministry needs to transform the country’s schools.

The Bahamas Education, Science and Technology (BEST) Foundation is an independent non-profit organisation, overseen by a private sector-led board of directors, created to attract business investment and philanthropic donations for public education. It was launched during a ceremony at Baha Mar, where the ministry also unveiled a new logo and a roadmap for the education system.

Mr Cooper revealed the pledges while speaking to reporters yesterday. He welcomed the early support and said he hoped the private sector would do more to advance what he called a “revolution in education”.

He said his ministry receives about $400m from government, but a significant portion goes towards salaries and allowances. He estimated that a further $300m is needed for infrastructure, technology and the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI).

“Every bit helps,” he said.

Mr Cooper said the ministry plans significant new initiatives, pointing to the recently launched Young Innovators Club, a focus on special education, building capacity and assessments, and a heavy emphasis on vocational training. He said the country must also build new modern schools with cutting-edge technology and a BTVI campus, and that he hoped the business and investment community would offer significant support.

The launch featured video messages from Family Island education officials describing what students and teachers are going without.

Abaco’s District Superintendent, also named Chester Cooper, recalled a house fire last year that left students without their belongings. The school community rallied to help them, the superintendent said.

“It wasn’t enough, but of course it went a long way in assisting those students because they would’ve lost all of their possessions,” he said.

The superintendent said meaningful progress would mean making sure students have what they need to succeed in the classroom, and that extra funding could help families hit by sudden hardship.

Don Barr, district superintendent for Exuma, Cat Island, Long Island and Ragged Island, called for free, well-equipped special education centres for students on the autism spectrum. He said schools in his district sometimes pay national examination fees for students whose families cannot afford them, and sometimes help cover emergency flights for students who need medical care when their parents cannot pay.

South Central Bahamas District Superintendent Andrew Dean said Family Island schools lack basic science equipment, including microscopes, beakers and test tubes, leaving students unable to do experiments. He said they also need reliable internet, books, computers, televisions and interactive screens, and should have the same resources as schools in New Providence.

“Not because a child is in Mayaguana, it means that supplies should be a disadvantage to them,” Mr Dean said. “No, I think every student should have access to an equal opportunity in education.”

Students also spoke at the launch. Roneika Joseph, a student at SC McPherson Junior High who said she is interested in science and technology, called for more investment in modernising public school classrooms so students can compete with their private school counterparts and on the global stage.

According to the foundation, it is meant to complement rather than replace government spending on education, and its governing framework provides for an independent annual audit and annual reporting.

The launch also included the ministry’s new strategic plan, which targets an 85 percent graduation rate by 2030. In a national address in August, Mr Cooper said there were 67 special education units and programmes across the country, 22 of them in the Family Islands.