The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE Union of Tertiary Educators of The Bahamas is accusing the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute of refusing to recognise faculty members’ accredited degrees and certifications by relying on criteria from the National Accreditation and Equivalency Council of The Bahamas.

UTEB president Daniel Thompson said BTVI is citing NAECOB communications to justify its position. He said the institute has added a condition that if a degree or institution is not listed or approved by NAECOB, it will not be accepted.

Mr Thompson said NAECOB confirmed that the degree of a BTVI faculty member from a regionally accredited university is valid, but advised that the online programme is not recognised.

He described NAECOB as being in its “infantile” stage and called it a fledgling institution, adding that its recognition process requires universities to pay a $2,000 annual fee to appear on its list, with only 14 institutions currently listed.

The union said it is disappointed that BTVI’s leaders are refusing to recognise faculty members’ accredited degrees and internationally recognised certifications, saying doing so is required by the industrial agreement.

Some BTVI members said the move is an attempt to sideline people.

“UTEB calls on the government of The Bahamas to intervene urgently on these matters, especially the one at BTVI, and the industrial agreement is clear and transparency in processes is expected,” Mr Thompson said. “Anything less represents a breach of trust, a dismissal of professional excellence and a troubling precedent for higher education in The Bahamas.”

Mr Thompson also described the situation as “ludicrous”, “unfair” and “unrealistic” when referencing what he called a fledgling organisation with only 14 institutions recognised.

“The implication that BTVI is using as a justification to dismiss qualifications earned from respected institutions and certification bodies around the world are somewhat inferior simply because they do not appear on a limited list is both unreasonable and academically indefensible, and may I add disingenuous of the institution. Tertiary education operates within widely accepted global accreditation and internationally recognized systems,” he said.

Kerima Smith of BTVI’s business department said the matter affects the entire institution, which she estimates has about 40 full-time faculty members and 250 adjunct faculty.

“You cannot say as management that you want faculty to remain up to date to know what industry trends are required, what best practices are required, and you don't want us to go through the training and development that is required of all us here,” she said.

She said the industrial agreement required her to obtain certification so she could properly prepare students seeking internationally recognised certification and ensure they are adequately trained to achieve it.

“We believe that BTVI has now added an additional step to what is required and this is the additional step, the industrial agreement speaks to us getting our qualifications from accredited institutions,” she said. “If you look at NAECOB website, there are at least 50 to 100 accredited institution, accredited bodies. The faculty would have gone on those sites and look at the accredited bodies, because that is what the industrial agreement asked for.”

The Tribune reached out to BTVI for comment but did not receive a response up to press time.