The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Please - allow me to speak candidly about my experience as a 2021 graduate of the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute. I am a fully employed mother who decided to enroll in BTVI after attending the graduation ceremony of a friend in 2017 and hearing the newly appointed Minister of Education Mr Jeffrey Lloyd speak about his plans for Technical Education and how he will work to make sure that technical education gets the respect that it deserves. I took him at his word, knowing that he also graduated from BTVI.

I proudly attended classes at BTVI and through thick and thin I reminded myself that one day soon, I would be able to walk across that stage and receive my diploma while my children, family and friends cheered me on. For days and weeks, I watched the BTVI Facebook page, the newspapers and the evening news and saw how the school was having graduation ceremony after graduation ceremony in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic. This gave me hope, because I knew that one day soon my time would come.

Imagine my disappointment, when despite lobbying for a face–to–face graduation, BTVI notified the Class of 2021 that due to COVID-19, face-to-face ceremonies could not be held but that a Virtual Ceremony would be held on July 17, 2021 instead. Even after their response to us, we saw the Most Honourable Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis at a BTVI face-to-face graduation. We saw Minister of National Security the Hon Marvin Dames at a BTVI face-to-face graduation and we saw Minister of State for Grand Bahama the Hon Kwasi Thompson at a BTVI face-to-face graduation. The school’s Facebook page shows numerous other face-to-face BTVI graduations, but yet we cannot have one. No face-to-face graduation for the students who toiled for years and had to make the abrupt change to online learning during the last year in particular. No face-to-face graduation for the Certificate, Diploma and Degree BTVI Proud and BTVI Strong graduates. Don’t get us wrong, we are happy for the other programmes, some of which we understand lasted one week, some that lasted two weeks, but what about us?

On the morning of the proposed Virtual Ceremony; after some of us had already organised our watch parties; took time off from work and arranged family gatherings; our promised Virtual Ceremony was unceremoniously postponed without any warning. The school simply posted a notice on Facebook. What utter disrespect! Afterwards, another note of apology was posted.

After 6pm on Friday, July 23, 2021, a BTVI Blast was sent, supposedly to all graduates inviting us to a meeting on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th, 2021 at 5pm. Most of us missed that email, because ironically it went to spam, but one would think that because of the short notice given for the meetings the school would have at least called us. The graduates who attended the meeting reported that they were further disrespected because they were not even allowed to speak in the Zoom meeting but were asked to send their questions to a WhatsApp number instead. Messages sent to the phone number went unanswered and when a call was answered, the BTVI employee was unable to provide any information.

Although we were still disappointed by the turn of events, the news spread about the plans for a drive-in graduation to be held on July 30th 2021 and many of us, encouraged by family members, decided to attend.

BTVI sent a note on Tuesday, July 27th 2021 about the Prime Minister’s National Address scheduled for Wednesday, July 28, 2021 and we understood that depending on what he said, it may have impacted their plans for the drive-in. We were relieved though, when no mention of a lockdown was made during the actual address. We expected to hear that the ceremony was still on, but to our total disillusionment a notice came out from the school, on Facebook, that they would not be able ‘‘to follow through with the series of drive-in graduation exercises.’’

Honourable Minister Lloyd, we need answers please. BTVI hosted a drive thru regalia pick up day which was well attended. If permission was granted for that event, could permission not have been granted for a similar graduation drive thru event? Schools throughout the Bahamas have successfully hosted drive thru graduations, surely as a tertiary level institution we could do the same thing.

Who cancelled the graduation ceremony and why? Does BTVI understand that as responsible adults we have to plan well in advance every time a new date for graduation is announced?

Did BTVI really plan drive-in ceremonies and raise our hopes in vain without having the proper approvals in place? Was this story simply concocted and intended to mislead the graduates? Or, is this a display of sheer incompetence on behalf of BTVI?

Where is the BTVI’s communications department? Are they proud of the way in which this situation unfolded? Have they forgotten that they are dealing with adults? Why is it so difficult to communicate effectively with us?

Minister Lloyd, we have made so many sacrifices to get to this point. Although nothing can replace being cheated of our opportunity to walk across that stage, the biggest question in all of our minds is whether we will receive a full refund for the graduation fees paid. We have been robbed of our rite of passage, our dignity and the money spent as we prepared for two graduation ceremonies that were dead on arrival.

Honourable Minister of Education, BTVI Class of 2021 needs you now, more than ever!

Disrespected, Disappointed, Disillusioned, Disregarded 2021 BTVI Graduate

Nassau,

August 2, 2021.