By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

DIRECTOR of Education Dominique McCartney Russell said there is “no widespread evidence” that large numbers of students in public schools cannot speak English.

The issue gained attention after a viral social media post alleged some schools are enrolling children “who cannot speak a lick of English.” Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) president Belinda Wilson has also said she has received reports of a rising number of non-English speaking students, particularly Creole speakers, whose lack of foundational skills in reading, writing and comprehension she claimed is hampering learning and fuelling disruptive behaviour in classrooms.

Mrs McCartney Russell said the ministry is aware of the concerns, but said her department has not seen signs of a systemic problem.

“I cannot say to you that that is prevalent in our schools,” she told reporters. “We have no information on that to suggest that it is. In my knowledge, most of our children in our schools are Bahamians.”

She also addressed her earlier comments about a “buddy system” to help ESL students adjust in classrooms. She clarified that while some schools informally use peer support, there is no formal policy.

“I’ve not spoken to any principal to ascertain which student is utilised for the buddy system, but I am certain that it is not a mandatory thing,” she said, comparing it to students voluntarily assisting a classmate with a disability.

Mrs Wilson has challenged her earlier claim, saying teachers have never been given formal instructions or resources for such a system. She called on the ministry to provide a written policy detailing where the buddy system operates and how it should be implemented.

Mrs McCartney Russell stressed that under the Education Act, all children of compulsory school age living in The Bahamas must be educated, regardless of language barriers.

“The Education Act says that students of compulsory school age five to 16, they must be educated. And so for us, their parents must register them so that they attend school,” she said. “Now, what we can do if we identify those students, we can ensure that they get some English classes that are geared towards them, that will help them to develop the English language. We can do that. There are some ways that we could mitigate but certainly not to keep them out of school until they learn the English. No, we don’t do that.”