JOHN S. BAIN
MBA, FCCA, CMA, CFM, CA, PA, CAMS, MIMIS
P.O. BOX SS-5609
NASSAU, BAHAMAS
(242) 427-3880
Email: jbain@bahamas.net.bs
5 September 2003
The Editor
Bahamasuncensored
Nassau Bahamas
Dear Sir:
Please allow me some space in your column to express some views on the present situation concerning the Public Education System. This topic has been discussed recently and comments made by the President of the Teacher’s Union, Mr. Kingsley Black and others, including recently Mr. Zhivargo Laing. Please note Mr. Editor, that my comments are from the layman’s perspective because I would be the first to state that I have no expertise in educational administration.
I read Mr. Laing’s comments with a degree of humor. I don’t think that Mr. Laing was objective in his comments and criticism of the current Minister of Education and Attorney General, Mr. Alfred Sears. One must remember that it was Mr. Sears who took the Fort Fincastle seat from Mr. Laing and the latter appears still in shock. Indeed, whenever he speaks or writes, the bitterness of his defeat, his lost of his powerful position as the youngest ever Cabinet Minister appointed in the history of The Bahamas, still shows its face.
While I do support Mr. Sears’ efforts and leadership in the Education Ministry, we must not forget what is at stake here. It is the children, the youth of this nation who should not be in the middle of a political war between two political rivals, or to augment a union leaders’ ego. It does not matter who is right, but what is right. What is better for the students of public schools? Mr. Laing apparently could not help but join Mr. Black’s call for Prime Minister Christie to appoint a full-time Minister of Education. I for one am not certain that having a full time education Minister is the panacea for the educational woes that has befallen successive governments. Indeed, under Mr. Laing’s party, they had two Education Ministers. First it was Lady Ivy Dumont, the present Governor General who was the Minister of Education. Then we had Mr. Laing at one point then Mr. Dion Foulks at another who were both Ministers of State for Education.
The Education Ministry had problems then as well, notwithstanding the two Ministers. We still had teacher shortages, schools still not ready at the time school reopened after the summer breaks, we still had school violence, we had teachers being attacked in schools by students, we still had gang wars, students with weapons etc. The point that I am making is that having a full time Minister will in no way guarantee a smooth running
Ministry with no problems, so it does not necessarily follow that if Mr. Sears were to give up being Attorney General or if the Prime Minister were to appoint another person as the Minister of Education, that in itself will solve most of the problems in the Ministry of Education. We note here that the appointment of Cabinet Ministers rest with the Prime Minister and only the Prime Minister. I can imagine the outcry from Mr. Laing and other members of the FNM and the press calling it a “Gussiemae” Cabinet if he did appoints an additional Minister.
Mr. Black has gone on record as saying that he has no political aspirations. I will accept his word on that matter, but I do recall before the last general election during the time of the failed referendum attempt by Mr. Ingraham. At this time, Mr. Black told the press that if Perry Christie continued to advocate a no vote on one of the issues in the referendum that concerned teachers, he would have to advise his members not to support the PLP in the 2002 elections. He said this despite the fact that most Bahamians did not support any of Mr. Ingraham’s efforts to amend the constitution. Mr. Black is now threatening industrial action if the amount of money promised to his members by Mr. Ingraham is not paid in October. He seems to have increased his threat level after Mr. Ingraham said at a political rally in Freeport that the same place the money comes from in December, it would have come from in July. What Mr. Ingraham failed to say however, was that if all of the money is to come from the same place, then he should have paid the money outright instead of promising the payment. If he cannot accept that the government cannot afford it now, why didn’t he pay all then, rather than make a promise to pay? After all, to follow his argument, the money comes from the same place.
Mr. Editor, why is it that the same problems that seem to face the public school system not as prevalent in the private schools? I am sure they have their problems, but it just does not appear that the Catholic Schools, the Anglican Schools, the Baptist Schools and the other private institutions experience the same level of teacher shortages, school repair fiascos, school violence etc. as those that appear to be experienced in the public school system. Should the government study this issue with a view to considering getting out of public education? Should the government outsource the education of our youth to the religious and private sectors? This could be done for example, by turning over all public schools to these bodies, and paying them a reduced amount than that currently charged for each student. The private schools will be happier, because they have more assets under management, and they have a larger student population and by extrapolation, more money. The students may be ensured a better quality education. The teachers will be needed to teach those students so their jobs are intact (albeit, I do understand that the government pays more for teachers than the private sector, which seems ironic). More importantly, the government would not be politically exposed to criticism because successive governments with one half, one full and sometimes two Ministers cannot appear to manage the school system properly in order to obtain the objectives of providing a well educated population. If it is argued that the government do somehow manages it, education delivery and administration appears to be done more efficiently in The Bahamas by the private sector.
This is something that I think they should look into. Thanks you for your space.
Yours truly,