By JADE RUSSELL 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

jrussell@tribunmedia.net

EDUCATION Minister Glenys Hanna Martin yesterday defended her ministry’s efforts to reform the curriculum.

The minister emphasised the implementation of various programmes focused on technical and vocational education for students - and came in response to Bahamas Teachers Union president Belinda Wilson, who claimed that such programmes do not exist within the country’s public education system.

Mrs Wilson also criticised the Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training for attempting to justify national exam results each year, arguing the academic curriculum needs revision, as only a small percentage of students excel in these exams.

Mrs Hanna Martin said the annual reading of national exam results is a traditional practice that promotes transparency, helping the Bahamian public understand student performance.

“It’s an accountability measure and the curriculum is being reformed on a number of levels,” she said on the sideline of a school repair tour. “I’ve spoken publicly about it and the chief one is the major thrust of technical and vocational education. We’re looking at performing arts, sports. We are concentrating on literacy and numeracy. In fact, last term, and I think the president of the BUT would know this, we were in the primary school grades one to three, we did in the curriculum for literacy and numeracy.”

The minister acknowledged that education reform takes time and cannot produce instant results, though she would like to see immediate changes.

Education officials revealed this year’s results last Friday, but there has been criticism that an overly positive image of student performance was presented.

Mrs Wilson pointed out that decades ago, when the General Certificate of Education (GCE) and General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams were administered, only about 15 to 20 percent of students achieved successful results. She said the same situation is occurring with the BJC and BGCSE exams. She also said there have been no technical and vocational programmes for students who may be more skilled in a trade rather than academics.

When asked about Mrs Wilson’s comments regarding the lack of technical and vocational programmes, Mrs Hanna Martin suggested that Mrs Wilson might not be aware of the existing programmes.

Mrs Hanna Martin highlighted the cluster programme offered to students in grades seven to nine and noted that many teachers are introducing technical and vocational studies in early stages within primary schools. She also mentioned the construction of a new polytechnic on Wulff Road, which will serve as a centre for technical and vocational education.

Last week, education officials revealed that in the 2024 BJC, 10,745 candidates from 63 government schools and 74 independent/private centres participated, a slight decrease of 1.7 percent from 2023. Of these, 1,388 candidates earned grades of C or higher in at least five subjects, a minor drop from 1,417 last year. Additionally, 1,948 candidates achieved grades of D or above in five or more subjects, up slightly from 1,945 in 2023. The number of students securing at least a C in Mathematics, English, and Science decreased to 1,298 from 1,402.

For the BGCSE, which marked its 32nd sitting since 1993, 5,935 candidates from 41 government schools and 66 independent/ private centres participated, a 10.05 percent increase from 2023. The total number of grades awarded rose to 20,598, a 9.99 percent increase from 18,727 grades in the previous year.

Both male and female candidates showed improvements, with higher percentages of A to C grades and reductions in D to G grades. Although girls continue to outperform males overall, boys progressed in achieving B grades and reducing D and F grades.

This year, 653 candidates earned grades of C or higher in at least five subjects. Additionally, 1,009 candidates obtained a minimum grade of D in five or more subjects. Four hundred and thirty-one candidates secured at least a C in mathematics, English, and science.