How have we done? B+ or A-

As of Wednesday, May 2, 2018

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

TWO Cabinet ministers have given the Minnis administration above average evaluations as the government comes upon the one-year anniversary of defeating the former Christie administration in a landslide victory.

Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said yesterday while he believes some things could have been done better, overall the government fared well.

“I believe that we could have done some things better, so a strong B or an A-. I think that’s a reasonable grade.”

Education Minister Jeff Lloyd gave a slightly lower evaluation but praised the government’s work over the last year.

He said: “B+ , oh by all means B+. We have come in at a time when it was extraordinarily difficult in this country and every metric and every measurement out there is reflecting that we are on the right track. The International Monetary Fund is saying it and other indicators are saying it.

“We have changed around the Ministry of Education’s administrative team. We have had two very successful conclaves. We have received rave reviews from our stakeholders, over 200 plus over a week ago attended a conclave at the British Colonial Hilton where we shared our views and our vision and we elicited their feedback and they are very very excited. Our team is very excited. The entire team at the Ministry of Education is very excited.

“We have had over 1,200 jobs that have been created by these Labour on the Blocks (job fairs). We have our town meetings on a regular basis. We have our constituency meetings on a regular basis. We are in the market place engaging with the Bahamian people and investors now are very excited of doing business with this country and our administration.

“We, of course, are on an anti-corruption process where we want to rid our people of this concept that there is a free lunch somewhere and that you gonna have to tip, tip, tip your way through in order for the things that you deserve to be provided you.”

Mr Lloyd continued: “Oh, we are doing phenomenally well. I keep saying we’re doing great.

“Now, of course, you are going to see the fruits of that more and more as time goes on because right now first of all we are cleaning up the mess (and) we’re laying the groundwork and then as the tree bears fruit, you’re going to be able to enjoy and we will enjoy in very short order.”

sheeprunner12 5 years, 11 months ago

All Jeff Lloyd is talking about is finding spaces for 3 year olds to go to school ...... In the meantime the whole damn system is just a damn mess ...... BJC and BGCSE needs overhauling, the Diploma experiment is a bust and teachers and principals are really not motivated to work in a public school system where >50% of the children cannot graduate. The Unions are only looking for more perks without any accountability to see more school productivity.

Lloyd has to just shut up and start overhauling the mess that exists ...... Is he throwing away the 13 cohorts that are now in the system, while pontificating about "pre-primary school"????

joeblow 5 years, 11 months ago

There is no clear, cohesive national plan for growth and development. So naturally, everyone looks like a novice on the job trying to figure out what they should do. Makes you wonder if they were paying attention to what the problems were and the possible solutions when they were shadow ministers!

birdiestrachan 5 years, 11 months ago

They are both Masterful liars. just imagine a former Deacon who can lie so.

licks2 5 years, 11 months ago

I have read the national plan. . .even though some say a plan does not exist! However, I am still of the opinion that some progress is being made in substantial areas of laying a new medium and long term foundation for nation growth. . .ONE YEAR IS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO SAY IF THE CHANGES WE SEE ARE PURELY FNM DRIVEN, PLP DRIVEN OR FNM/PLP DRIVEN!

AS FOR SAYING WHO CAUSE POSITIVE CHANGES WE ARE NOW SEEING. . .BOTH GOVERNMENTS ARE ONLY ONE YEAR SEPARATED AND STILL "CONNECTED AT THE HIP" SO TO SPEAK POLICY WISE. . .SINCE ONE YEAR IS WAY TOO EARLY TO SAY WHO IS DRIVING THE SHIP!! THIS HORSE HAS AN FNM RIDER BUT STILL SMELL LIKE A PLP JOCKEY!! ONLY THING I CAN SAY FOR SURE RIGHT NOW. . .I RESERVE MY OPINION UNTIL ABOUT ANOTHER YEAR. . .THEN I THINK I CAN FAIRLY JUDGE THIS MATTER WITH CLEAR EYES!

sheeprunner12 5 years, 11 months ago

All Bahamian public schools have a 5-point GPA (report card/transcript) system ...A,B,C,D,F ....... Now if you talking about BJC or BGCSE, that is a 7-point grading system ....A,B,C,D,E,F,G ........ But remember that these exams are measured on a curve that places you at a percentile skills level compared with the exam cohort .......... But most older Bahamians still see these as GCE grades ...... And the media is still feeding this nonsense too.

sheeprunner12 5 years, 11 months ago

Parents do not invest time in their children’s studies, and so the children invest time in everything else but their schoolwork. To the extent that a child grows up seeing school as something he has to go to because it is the law of the land, as opposed to seeing education as the food without which he will live a starved life, will be the extent to which our schools turn out Bahamians year after year who cannot compete in the job market and who struggle to see their way clear to a better life. (from May 2, 2013)

Too many parents dress up their children, but do not teach them manners and respect.
Too many parents buy their children expensive gadgets, but do not go to PTA meetings, orientation exercises, extracurricular activities or PT conferences.
Too many parents will take their children shopping in the USA, but they won't take them to the Family Islands to allow them to learn about their country and their family roots.
Too many parents will sign up for private or government loans to send their children to US colleges, but they will not encourage them to come back and build their country after graduating.

This is what is wrong with most of our Bahamian parents in the education system.

ThisIsOurs 5 years, 11 months ago

Sigh. You cannot say ANYTHING about "how well" you did UNLESS you set out measurable goals to grade yourself with. Pulling random A's and B's out the air is meaningless. Can you imagine if we went around asking students how well they think they did this year without some predefined measurement involved? We'd have an A+ national average.

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