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Tuesday, July 7, 2009

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Ministry wants education tax By JASMIN BONIMY ~ NG Staff Reporter ~ jasmin@nasguard.com: A 10-year national plan proposed for education calls for the introduction of a special tax and national lottery, to better fund the nation's public schools and programs designed to produce more well-rounded productive students. The 65-page document proposes that a referendum on the national lottery be held by December 2011. However, such a referendum appears unlikely as Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has already indicated that no more referenda will be held under his leadership. As a means of funding education, the Ministry of Education also proposes in the document that departure tax be increased by $2 per passenger. This recommendation and the recommendation for a national lottery are listed as short term objectives in the 10-year plan, which was the focus of attention at the National Education Summit at the Wyndham Nassau Resort yesterday. Another short term objective is that the government allocate at least 17 percent of the annual national budget to education in a bid to reflect its commitment to the sector. This goal has already been achieved, according to Minister of Education Carl Bethel, who noted in his contribution to debate on the 2009/2010 budget in the House of Assembly last month that the government allocated 17 percent of the recurrent expenditure to education. This allocation, $24,666,062.00, includes the budget for the Ministry of Education, the Department of Education, The College of The Bahamas and The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute. The proposed national education plan calls for appropriate fiscal management mechanisms to be put in place in the short term to reduce wastage by seeking to better maintain physical plants and other facilities. The document suggests these measures be fully implemented by July 2012. The introduction of the education tax was listed as one of the proposed long term objectives. Also included in that category was the objective to reduce building repairs and costs by implementing ongoing maintenance of all school facilities. Other long term objectives call for the implementation of programs to assist newly arrived immigrant children in adjusting to Bahamian society, and the extension of the school day to give more time to extracurricular activities and supervision of projects and homework assignments. The report also recommends that closed circuit television systems be installed in all New Providence and Grand Bahama schools. The comprehensive report addresses many different areas of education in The Bahamas, including developing national curricula that are more relevant to the needs of society; meeting the needs of special students; furnishing schools with the necessary training resources; improving the quality of education at the tertiary level; attracting quality teachers and constructing and properly maintaining school buildings. While speaking to a room full of educators at the Education Summit yesterday, Bethel called the 10-year plan a visionary document designed to strengthen the education system. "As you put your collective minds together to examine and refine the 10-year education plan, it is envisioned that each of you will be a catalyst for change in your sphere of influence and will work zealously to ensure that goals of the 10-year education plan are achieved," Bethel said. In a message contained in the document, the education minister said the plan provides the "blueprint for transformation". Education officials said they are seeking to create a Bahamian education system that promotes the highest standards and produces students who are intellectually curious, compassionate, responsible and capable of making a meaningful contribution to the country's productivity, prosperity and peace. The proposed plan is being considered amid ongoing concerns in various quarters about the state of education in The Bahamas. A July 2005 report released by the Coalition for Education Reform entitled 'Bahamian Youth: The Untapped Source' highlighted so-called learning gaps within the educational system. Pointing to the 2004 Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) examination results, which averaged a D that year, the report said: "This data substantiates the conclusion that the state of Bahamian education is unacceptable. This is reality. These are the brutal facts and you absolutely cannot make a series of good decisions without first confronting the brutal facts." The national grade average in the BGCSEs rose to a D plus last year. Results for 2009 examinations have not yet been released. The Education Summit continues today. Tuesday, July 7, 2009