At the signing of a contract on Thursday for roughly $700,000 in renovations and repairs to be carried out at an Abaco school, the Minister of Works and Utilities called on parents, teachers and students this coming school year to play a bigger role in taking pride in their school’s premises by safeguarding the upgrades made by the government.
“At private schools, you do not see the amount of destruction of the school premises as you do at the government schools, and that is because if students do not behave and follow the school rules, they can say that you have to leave and you are no longer welcome here. However, the government does not have the luxury to just put students out,” said Minister Roberts.
Many parents and teachers have been calling on the government to upgrade, schools year after year. However the Minister noted that the government is in the process of improving all school facilities throughout The Bahamas. He explained that every school on every island in the country will have the same resources made available and will be brought up to state-of-the-art standards.
Moreover, the Minister said that the government has been forced to spend roughly $1million dollars in repairs and remodelling on a school in New Providence because the school’s premises had deteriorated rapidly, partly due to vandalism.
He added that he has noticed that schools that are excelling academically rarely deteriorate prematurely.
Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Alfred Sears, who was in Abaco on Thursday accessing upgrades to schools on the island, noted that the government is in the process of revamping the entire educational system in the country. However, he emphasised that the government cannot do it alone. He explained that the schools desperately need the support of the parents, if the government and teachers in The Bahamas are going to have a chance at transforming the country’s youth into future leaders.
Despite the massive changes and upgrades beingh made to government schools, many educators The Guardian spoke with said they are afraid if parents do not step in and work along with the teachers to teach their children that respect and education are the key to their future, all of the upgrades made to the schools will be pointless.
By: LaShonne Outten, The Nassau Guardian
