The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

TO the dismay of many Bahamians, a few months ago, it was reported that the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, ordered all embassies to stop scheduling interviews for student visas for students to study in the United States. I listened intently as Bahamians scrambled to make sense of this directive, brainstorming to find solutions that would still provide Bahamians opportunities to study at an accredited university. One of the solutions that a few suggested was to search for accredited online universities to complete your studies at home and it is for this reason why I feel compelled to warn Bahamians that this process is not as straightforward as one would think.

As a young Bahamian, married with two children, I decided to study to attain my master’s degree online. For me, this was the most convenient way given my personal and professional commitments. The fact is that some of us simply do not have the luxury to study abroad and many of us cannot afford to pack up everything and leave the country and with the many changes in the United States it is becoming even more difficult. When I decided to pursue my degree, I went on the website of the National Accreditation and Equivalency Council of the Bahamas (NAECOB), to find the list of accredited institutions that NAECOB accepted. I was pleased to find an affordable, accredited university that offered a master’s degree online accredited by Council for Higher Education (CHEA).

As soon as I completed my degree in December 2024, I brought my diploma to my Human Resources department to notify them that I successfully completed my master’s degree. I was informed that my degree would have to be verified by NAECOB. I was not concerned because I had done my due diligence and researched the university’s accreditation agencies so I knew that NAECOB would confirm this. Big mistake! NAECOB left me stunned, dead in my tracks. NAECOB response was that yes, I did meet all the requirements for a master’s degree in human resource management, awarded December 2024, and that the degree was valid, and that the university is accredited by CHEA and that the accrediting body is accepted by NAECOB, but the online programme offered by the university is not recognised by NAECOB for its online programmes.

Imagine my utter shock, my frustration, my anger and sheer embarrassment to now be seen as the laughing stock to my colleagues who knew I was working hard to complete my degree. How could NAECOB be so cruel? NAECOB was telling me and my employer, the Civil Service, that all my hard work, all my sleepless nights, my mental anguish for the past two and a half years was all down the drain because the university was not recognised by NAECOB. This had to be a joke! I simply could not understand what the letter was saying.

So, like any normal person, I took to social media to find out if this had happened to anyone else and sure enough it did. After doing further research, it was found that if a university has not registered their university with NAECOB and pay the NAECOB fees of two thousand plus dollars, NAECOB will deem your degree be invalid. I could not believe this. Technology has provided more opportunities for Bahamians to educate themselves to earn higher wages and to achieve satisfactory careers.

These universities, who have been in existence for decades would have done their due diligence to ensure that they’re on campus and online programmes are both at the standard that is expected by the accrediting body. It just seems that NAECOB needs to catch up with the times. What does NAECOB do to attract these universities to register with them? Do these universities even know about NAECOB? Do these universities even know about the application and the associated fee? Has NAECOB contacted these universities to tell them this? Does NAECOB recognise the negative impact such responses and implications this has on Bahamians who are striving to do better?

At this point, I am making a plea to Prime Minister Brave Davis, Minister Hanna Martin and Minister Pia Glover-Rolle to please intervene on behalf of the many Bahamians who are finding themselves in this grossly unconscionable situation at no fault of their own. I and many others have worked very long hours, and many, many nights sacrificing time from our families, lots of money, only to be told so casually that our efforts are a waste. Please Mr Prime Minister, Minister Hanna Martin and Minister Pia Glover Rolle, please make this make sense. Rejection for a two-thousand-dollar fee, really? NAECOB must do its part to help Bahamians who want to improve their lives.

STRIVING BAHAMIAN CITIZEN

Nassau,

August 30, 2025.