Botswana's president? For descendants of the victims of the transAtlantic trade in enslaved people? The rationale behind this statement? Especially given Botswana's geographic location in Africa?

First, Mr. Lloyd should acknowledge the roles ideally played by all public servants. A country cannot function without them. Whether or not most Bahamian civil servants consider themselves public servants is certainly up for debate.

Second, I wonder if, when he was Minister of Education, the then Honorable Mr. Lloyd would have relinquished his position in favor of what he calls an "Education Authority"?! I suspect not. Nevertheless, to ensure that our children are better educated, the Ministry of Education must be overhauled. Perhaps, a separate government "corporation" -- an Education Authority -- is the answer.

Third, and perhaps most important, while he notes the important challenge of teacher compensation, Mr. Lloyd never share why he feels good teachers are uniquely important to society: They play a vital role in helping children develop a sense of purpose, they help them become future citizens, they provide role models (especially in the absence of other adult role models), etc, etc. It's surprising that a former Minister of Education (and teacher?) neglected to highlight the importance of teachers to a nation and, especially, to our children.

About the United States, but perhaps universally applicable: A July 21, 2023 headline in Scientific American reads, "Extreme Heat Is Deadlier Than Hurricanes, Floods and Tornadoes Combined."

As the story notes: "Extreme heat is the number-one weather-related cause of death in the U.S., and it kills more people most years than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined."

In addition to the reasons for people dying from heat mentioned in The KDK Report, prolonged exposure to extreme heat can damage the central nervous system, the brain and other vital organs and worsen existing chronic medical problems, including hypertension and heart disease (both widespread health issues in The Bahamas).

If the Ministry of Education (and civil service, generally?) didn't force teachers (and civil servants?) to retire at age 65, and if they and politicians were genuinely concerned about the welfare of their teachers -- ergo their students and schools -- there might be fewer challenges with staffing schools.

Perhaps a more flexible retirement policy is in order. Many 65-year-old are healthier and more energetic than much younger people. Further, despite retirement opportunities, some enjoy teaching and are extremely effective and wise teachers -- again, when compared to many of their younger counterparts who view it simply as a job. Provide opportunities for part-time teaching, say 1/2 as opposed to full-time load.

Be innovative. It's been 50 years since we were officially a colony.

Not that challenges wouldn't remain, but they might be less severe.

Indeed, students -- and parents, employers and the country as a whole -- are desperate for an educational system that meets their needs.

All must learn how to become functionally literate in the three Rs. That is, they must be equipped to, say, read and understand the equivalent of a story in this publication and, if they so choose, write a letter to the editor. Also, they must be able to understand and complete a job application — or an application to an institution of higher learning, whether it be a technical institution or college/university. Related to this, they must understand how to prepare for and participate in job interviews. They must have basic financial literacy skills, especially to understand the power of interest and loan and credit card documents that could cripple them with debt.

All must graduate from high school with skills that allow for meaningful options: further education or the skilled job market or both.

All must learn how to think. To problem solve. To understand the importance of why, how, and so what, not simply who, what, when and where.

For decades it has been clear that the current state of public education requires substantial reform.

Even in Great Britain, the origin of our educational framework, it is widely acknowledged that the GCSE approach is failing to meet the needs of the majority of students. This realization is shared by various public and private entities, including Pearson Education, the world's second-largest textbook publisher.

For example, according to a 2021 report titled "Pearson’s Analysis of the Future of Qualifications & Assessment in England," which "surveyed over 6,000 stakeholders from across the education spectrum," the following key points were highlighted:

"[A] good system [of education] must equip individuals with the tools they need to thrive, facilitating access to work and engaging in life beyond school. It should be progressive, promote choice, and contain a broad and inclusive curriculum that exposes students to a variety of experiences to support their development of knowledge and skills. It should be a system where attributing failure is never a consequence of recognising achievement, and should optimise technology in doing so."

"[T]he current system is too restrictive, with too many rules specifying how qualifications and assessment need to be structured to be recognised by funding and performance measures. This has squeezed out the appetite for innovation, preventing the system from keeping pace with the modern, evolving world."

We don't need to -- and we can't -- replicate educational models from other countries such as Singapore or Finland, no matter how successful they might be. The current system shows that this approach isn't effective for the vast majority of our students. The Bahamas possesses abundant talent to design a system tailored to its needs. Also, finger pointing that assigns blame to either students, or teachers, or parents, or the Ministry of Education -- or any combination of the four -- counterproductive and unhelpful.

Much like in public education systems globally, reform is imperative for The Bahamas to provide better education for our children -- for their sake and to help ensure a viable long-term future for our country. Successive administrations have recognized the necessity for reform, but addressing it requires tangible actions, not rhetoric and platitudes.

After exploring the Exempt app, I wondered if I'd even purchase anything the next time I traveled to the US. In the article and some of the comments, my fears that the process is both cumbersome and burdensome were confirmed.

As one who has to travel with a laptop, it would be helpful to have access by this means. At least, it would be possible to have multiple screens open.

A bit cynical but, if the majority of users were visitors, I bet the app would be considerably more user friendly; as in, say, type in your items and the price paid (e.g., kyodoled Suggestion Box with Lock, $25.99 -- something clearly needed at LPIA) and have technology do the work for you.

A link to the article referenced above: "Dreams and Deadly Seas."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/i…

Hopefully, the authors of the revised code won't start from scratch, and will build on the commendable work done for the 51 page "Guide to Housing Standards for The Bahamas: Build Back Better" (a "precursor to the fourth edition of The Bahamas Building Code") published by the Ministry of Works in August 2020.

See https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskg…

A way of making those of us, especially those who travel extensively for pleasure, feel good because we've "neutralized" our impact on the environment? Greenwashing? Another money making scam?

As a February 22, 2023 New York Times story about studies regarding the effectiveness of carbon offsets noted:

"In most cases, carbon offsets do not capture or reduce real emissions, and they have a dismal record when it comes to actually averting future emissions. Air-travel carbon offsets are no different, as our colleagues at The New York Times concluded. What’s worse: Even if the projects these offsets supported were effective, they are so inexpensive (about $19, for instance, for a round trip on Hawaiian Airlines from Honolulu to New York) that what you pay wouldn’t come close to negating your share of environmental damage caused by flying."