By Gerrino J. Saunders
Bahama Journal News Editor
Improving grades and safe working and student environments are among the
priorities for public school administrators from more than 160 schools when they
return for the 2025-2026 academic school year beginning 10 days from today
opening on Monday, September 1st for students while teachers officially return on
August 25th .
This week the Ministry of Education hosted its annual Public Schools
Administrators Conclave at the British Colonial Hilton under the theme
‘Transformational Leadership, Building Capacity, Raising Standards, Achieving
Excellence’ with over 300 school administrators attending.
The conclave gives the administrators the opportunity to strategize, share ideas and
motivate one another as they head into the new school year with over 50,000
students under their wing.
On the second day while addressing the administrators Prime Minister Philip Davis
thanked the master educators for their dedication, service and sacrifices.
He said, “As Prime Minister I spend my days working on policies, budgets, and
programs, but I never forget that the real work of shaping our nation’s future
happens in your schools, offices and classrooms. It happens in the decisions
you make, the encouragement you give, the discipline you enforce, and the
example you set. And so today, I am here not to lecture, but to
acknowledge. To say, simply and sincerely: thank you.”
Continuing he said, “Thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your
courage. Thank you for choosing to work in education, when you could have
chosen easier, more lucrative paths. Thank you for believing in children
who sometimes come to you broken, discouraged, or distracted. Thank you
for seeing in them the leaders, the artisans, the entrepreneurs, the doctors,
the innovators of tomorrow.”
The Prime Minister promised the educators that the government will provide them
with the resources they need to be successful.
On the opening day the Minister of Education Technical and Vocational Training
Glenys Hanna-Martin said, “In this academic year it is our intent that we will see
these reforms, both operational and philosophical unfold, some are already
underway and no doubt there will be discussions around these initiatives in your
sessions during this conclave.”
She thought it important to note that the Davis administration has earnestly sought
to materially demonstrate its commitment to education as a national priority.
She said, “The government has sought to be respectful and responsive to our
education leaders. And not only through salary revisions and improved benefits,
we understand the critical partnership and the dire urgency of education reform
particularly in a post pandemic, rapidly evolving national and global reality – our
message has been consistent over this term, our children are our most valuable
resource and they must be adequately prepared and equipped to infuse our national
development with excellence.”
Hanna-Martin expressed her gratitude saying, “This is indeed a very prestigious
gathering of leaders within the public education system; and I want thank all of
you for your service to our country and to the advancement of young people in this
nation.”
She also wanted to make it clear that the government has sought to “be respectful
and responsive to our education leaders. Not only through salary revisions and
improved benefits, we understand the critical partnership and the dire urgency of
education reform – our message has been consistent over this term, our children
are our most valuable resource and they must be adequately prepared and equipped
to infuse our national development with excellence.”
Continuing she said, “This is critical leadership. Education is at the cornerstone of
national development. How well we execute this undertaking will ultimately
determine our qualitative human development and our sustainable progress as a
people.
“The school campus is the fertile ground for the amazing talent that exists in our
children. It is the space where our students learn tolerance and healthy coexistence,
where they develop respect for themselves, their peers, their teachers and for their
nation, where they learn to be ethical and to be accountable for their actions.”
The Education Minister acknowledged that it is the school administrators who
know these things better than anybody else and that they know it is not easy.
“There are many moving parts,” she said, “Policy mandates, budgetary constraints,
resource deficits and the challenges of creating workplace synergy, harmony, and
strategic equilibrium.”
Hanna-Martin also reminded that negative social conditions can “run interference”
and that many children suffer trauma and face other challenges which makes their
task to get a decent education even greater and also presents challenges for
teachers and administrators.
“But we also know that school is their saving grace and we must act to provide the
support that they do not fall between the cracks, and to equip our leaders with this
mission we must ensure your continuous professional development and
professional support so that we can construct a living curriculum that aligns the
student with the future,” said Hanna-Martin.
In regards to school repairs which often come right down to the wire often because
funds are released to the various contractors at a late stage.
The Minister said, “Well, it’s a very aggressive time line and the contractors are
pushing, and based on my report from the Ministry of Works and our internal team
our contractors should be completed before the reopening of school. We have been
able to achieve that every year since taking office and we don’t think there will be
any difference this year.”
