I thank you on behalf of all WB readers for your contribution, Young Man, but I think you may have missed the main point here (I notice this type of oversight from afar quite frequently, by the way, where we can't see the forest for the trees).
The big issue here is not the fact that Dr. Smith, who was forced to resign in shame, is demanding an unreasonably high (and tax-free, which makes it even higher) salary or whether Dr. Smith is qualified to hold the post or whether the Government is trying to drive through its pseudo-Bahamianisation strategy (as you rightly put it).
The issue is related to the fact that Dr Smith is even being considered again for the job, which in turn relates to the real issue: the paltry, ridiculously, infinitesimally small pool of candidates from which the country has to choose!
This happens not only in the Education sector, it happens in every sector, whether private or public, in the country. Just have a look around and see all of the people who have been recycled again and again for top posts .... even between industries ..... some in jobs for interminable time (30, 35, 40 years) - come on! (You mentioned 1 or 2 in your article).
This tells me (a) the local talent pool either does not exist or is very bad AND (b) because of (a), there is no real competition for these posts - where there is no competition, we know good things cannot happen.
From where I sit (Higher Education Management in the UK), this is one of the biggest barriers/challenges (if not 'evils') facing our little country. We must expand the pool of candidates for all top posts by widening our search around the Globe (starting with a search for Bahamians, many of whom have been a part of the sad 'Brain Drain' that has been affecting our country for decades).
S3S says...
I thank you on behalf of all WB readers for your contribution, Young Man, but I think you may have missed the main point here (I notice this type of oversight from afar quite frequently, by the way, where we can't see the forest for the trees).
The big issue here is not the fact that Dr. Smith, who was forced to resign in shame, is demanding an unreasonably high (and tax-free, which makes it even higher) salary or whether Dr. Smith is qualified to hold the post or whether the Government is trying to drive through its pseudo-Bahamianisation strategy (as you rightly put it).
The issue is related to the fact that Dr Smith is even being considered again for the job, which in turn relates to the real issue: the paltry, ridiculously, infinitesimally small pool of candidates from which the country has to choose!
This happens not only in the Education sector, it happens in every sector, whether private or public, in the country. Just have a look around and see all of the people who have been recycled again and again for top posts .... even between industries ..... some in jobs for interminable time (30, 35, 40 years) - come on! (You mentioned 1 or 2 in your article).
This tells me (a) the local talent pool either does not exist or is very bad AND (b) because of (a), there is no real competition for these posts - where there is no competition, we know good things cannot happen.
From where I sit (Higher Education Management in the UK), this is one of the biggest barriers/challenges (if not 'evils') facing our little country. We must expand the pool of candidates for all top posts by widening our search around the Globe (starting with a search for Bahamians, many of whom have been a part of the sad 'Brain Drain' that has been affecting our country for decades).
On YOUNG MAN'S VIEW: Determining the true value of an ideal education leader
Posted 10 October 2014, 10:52 a.m. Suggest removal