NASSAU, The  Bahamas – Minister of Education and Technical and Vocational Training the Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin said the prolonged closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic was a worldwide phenomenon and research has shown that learning loss has been a serious consequence even in developed states.

“In The Bahamas, we moved quickly to get children back into the classroom. A focus was brought to the many seen and unseen issues. We were proactive in countering the massive fallout from the two-year closure of schools,” the Education Minister said during a televised Back-to-School National Address on Sunday, September 1, 2024.

“We needed to understand the full impact so that targeted measures could be implemented in the recovery effort. Valuable data was obtained through individualized diagnostic testing of our 40,000 students nationwide. We found that 44 per cent of our students needed serious intervention. Immediate individualized interventions were implemented.”

The Minister noted that in the midst of all of this, there was an opportunity to look with fresh eyes at the country’s educational system. “We knew that over the years the foundational skills had become weakened. The acquired data and the legacy challenges mandated that bold decisions be made. Acting on this data our team went into action -- firstly -- curriculum modifications were implemented.”

She said in the first term of last year at grades one to three there was a singular focus on literacy and numeracy.

The Minister said secondly, pull outs for individualized attention were implemented at every level; thirdly -- national exams preparation was bolstered by additional classes, virtual refresher classes and campuses were put in intentional examination mode.

She added that fourthly -- to effectively and efficiently achieve the objectives, the ministry underwent a restructuring. “We began to see progress. We saw an increase in the overall grade point average in primary schools nationally.”

The Minister said BGCSE results improved nationally at a rate of 3.28 per cent. There was a percentage increase in both males and females in A to C passes.

She said students with five or more subjects with C or above, increased by 20.04 per cent over 2023.

“The National High School Diploma saw a measurable increase from 50 percent to 56 percent.

School attendance improved with the cumulative attendance rate at 91.6 per cent, a 1.3 percentage point increase from the previous year.”

The Minister said absenteeism saw a significant decline of 27.0 per cent in students absent for over half the year translating to 141 fewer chronic absentees.

She explained that the National School Breakfast Pilot Programme served over 149,000 breakfasts, contributing to a 3.9 percentage point increase in attendance across participating schools.

The Minister said this year the breakfast programme will expand to over 12,000 students in the Family Islands in the upcoming school year.  

She said the diligence of school attendance officers and the recently established hotline also helped to curb student absenteeism. Report card collection by parents increased to 85 per cent.

“A parent engagement unit and a portal for parents in the Learning Management System were established for stronger communication lines between parents and the ministry.  Several national PTA meetings were held for enhanced dialogue.”