The official date for students to begin returning has been set. Starting tomorrow all schools in New Providence with the exception C.I. Gibson and Government High School will open, while schools in Grand Bahama and North Andros will open on Wednesday, Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald said.

According to a press release issued Friday, teachers in New Providence are to report for duty on Monday and in Grand Bahama as well as north and central Andros on Tuesday.

The minister also stated that changes have been made to the school calendar to accommodate make-up days.

This comes after a consensus by ministry officials and Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) executives.

For both the October and February mid-term breaks, students will have two days off as opposed to four and two days will also be taken from the Christmas break.
“The October mid-term break would have been from the 19th to the 24th.
Students and teachers will now be off on Friday, 21st and Monday 24th October only.
“During the month of December, students were originally scheduled to be dismissed for the Christmas holiday on Wednesday, December 14th, 2016. Students will remain in school until Friday, December 16th, 2016.

“The February mid-term break would have been from the 22nd to the 27th. Students and teachers will now be off on Friday 24th and Monday 27th,” Mr. Fitzgerald said.

Mr. Fitzgerald also spoke to the fact that some students may now be without uniforms and clearly stated the ministry’s position.

“We have advised administrators to be mindful that some students may have lost personal effects inclusive of uniforms during the storm.

We have indicated to administrators to be sensitive to the circumstances of students, particularly those who may not have any or complete uniforms. They are to use good judgment and give some lenience during the next couple of weeks.”

He added that unfortunately, there were individuals who took the opportunity to vandalize a few schools and steal computers, projectors and other items from campuses during the hurricane; the most reprehensible being at the Sandilands Primary School.
He added that theft also occurred at E.P. Roberts Primary School, C.R. Walker Senior High School and Stapledon School.

Mr. Fitzgerald also mentioned that the Ministry of Education has forged collaboration with Bahamas Power and Light and the Ministry of Environmental Health.