The Tribune

WITH the new school year approaching and Bahamas Power and Light unable to guarantee fewer outages in the coming weeks, FNM deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright is demanding to know how the government plans to keep classrooms running if the power crisis persists.

Mr Cartwright said the continuous BPL power crisis has been debilitating for many sectors throughout the country and expressed concern about how power outages could affect students in schools across the country.

He questioned what plans are in place to ensure outages are minimised during school hours and challenged the Ministry of Education to explain how it plans to respond to potential prolonged outages in public schools.

“How does the government plan to assist educators in maintaing a school environment conducive to learning and instruction,” he further questioned.

New Providence has been plagued by power outages in recent weeks, disrupting residents, businesses and the courts and leaving many Bahamians pleading for the disruptions to end.

Mr Cartwright argued that if the situation persists, the education system will be tested, with a direct impact on classrooms, teachers and students.

He said that, given the electricity issues in the country, the government should be proactive by creating a comprehensive plan to mitigate any sustained outages.

Earlier this month, Bahamas Power and Light chief operating officer Anthony Christie said BPL could not guarantee fewer outages in the coming weeks as above-normal temperatures place greater strain on its ageing system.

Although the utility has maintained that it was prepared for the summer, officials have urged consumers to reduce their electricity use.

Mr Christie said August and September are expected to bring even hotter conditions and higher demand, making it difficult to assure frustrated consumers that the frequency of outages will decline.