BUT says Lloyd’s statement was an ‘admission of failure’

Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) President Belinda Wilson said Minister of Education Jeffrey Lloyd’s revelation that 25 percent of public school students on New Providence and Abaco have not been engaged in virtual learning and are in danger of repeating their grade level, is an admission of his failure as minister of education.

“For the minister to say that 6,000 students are wandering the streets, then that means that he has failed as the minister, based on the Education Act, to ensure that students between the ages of five and 16 are in school,” Wilson said.

“The minister, knowing that there are 6,000 students wandering the streets is quite aware that there are packing boys of school age in these food stores who are working when they should be in school. And the minister, I am certain, when he traverses the streets, he sees the children running up and down riding on their bicycles and playing.

“Yes, parents have a responsibility, so I don’t think that any parent should renege on their responsibility. And again, if the minister is doing his job, the Education Act speaks to: what should happen to a parent who has a child of school age who they have not sent to school?”

When contacted for a response to Wilson’s statement yesterday, Lloyd said, “Bless her heart and soul.”

Last week, the education minister said 75 percent of students in New Providence and Abaco have logged on to the Ministry of Education’s online learning platform and have been engaged with the lessons.

He said while he knows some students may have challenges with devices and internet service, there are resource packets available at schools where parents are able to have their students’ lessons and work for the week.

Wilson said after months of offering recommendations and seeking more detailed information on the Ministry of Education for maneuvering through the pandemic and the way forward for teachers and students, the BUT has not received one.

She said eight months into the pandemic, it feels as though there hasn’t been much progress.

“I’m glad to see that the minister finally admitted that there are thousands of students who have not logged on to the virtual platform, which is something that I have been saying for months,” Wilson said.

“And I also would like to challenge the minister to provide the empirical data for this 25 percent because teachers, and the union, were of the view that it’s higher than 25 percent.

“In our document, we had posed several questions asking the ministry to determine whether students would repeat the 2020 school year and if yes, at which grade levels or all of the grades.

“We also posed the question of whether students will only repeat the Easter and summer terms and at which grade levels, and we proposed even a grade 13 to be added, so the students who are socially promoted will have that additional year at the end of their school experience. So, we are still awaiting the written documentation from the Ministry of Education because everything that they’re sending to us is ad hoc, it’s not well thought out.”

The ministry partnered with several companies in an effort to get tablets and laptops to students on the two islands.

However, Lloyd said despite his ministry’s efforts, the number of students not logging on is too high, whether it be lack of resources or lack of interest.

Wilson said she hopes whenever the BUT receives a plan from the MOE, it addresses everything from social promotion to the number of teachers needed to continue through the new normal and beyond.

“We are concerned about social promotion because for years, we’ve been saying that students should not be promoted from one grade to another without them satisfactorily completing the work at the lower grade level,” Wilson said.

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