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Last Updated: Aug 31, 2020 - 11:18:00 PM |
Minister of Education the Hon. Jeffrey Lloyd
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REMARKS
BY
THE HONORABLE JEFFREY L. LLOYD
MINISTER OF EDUCATION BACK TO SCHOOL ADDRESS 2020
3:00 P.M. Good afternoon,
PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE MONDAY, 31st AUGU
Good afternoon,
Another year has passed, and we are once again planning the return of over 55,000 students, from throughout our country, to the classrooms. Yet, this year is different, it is unprecedented and without a doubt, one that has brought about seismic changes.
I believe that a country’s health and prosperity is underpinned by education. It is therefore my desire to give you an outline of the measures the Ministry of Education has taken to enhance education in The Bahamas, and the Ministry’s instructional delivery plans for the 2020 -2021 academic year.
My fellow Bahamians, for the past three years I have had the privilege of serving as your Minister of Education. At that time, the Ministry embarked on five major initiatives to enhance and transform the educational enterprise of this country. They were:
a. the complete digitization of the education system, such that every school and ministry building will have full wi-fi and internet capability.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Virtual Learning Platform is embedded in the Digital Evolution. Earlier, I said that the Digital Evolution is one of The Ministry of Education’s (MOE) 5 priority areas, to improve the quality of education in the Bahamas.
Ladies and Gentlemen, in order for our remote classes to operate effectively, we must expand our Wi-Fi connectivity to all public schools. Our target is to have 100 percent of our schools equipped with fiber and Wi Fi connectivity.
As of June 2020, 75 percent of the infrastructure in public schools, throughout the Bahamas, have been upgraded to accommodate high speed internet services. The technology upgrades are even more significant and timely, considering the need to shift to online learning due to COVID19.
A Technology Task Force has been commissioned and charged with the responsibility of the implementation of a comprehensive EMIS (Education Management Information System) and LMS (Learning Management System).
The EMIS (Education Management Information System) is very effective in monitoring the performance of an education system and managing the distribution and allocation of educational resources and services. It includes data collection, data processing, data analysis, and data reporting.
The LMS (Learning Management System) is a software application we are using for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, learning and development programs. Teachers are currently using the Learning Management System to teach and upload instructional resources and it allows students to participate in live lessons or on demand lessons.
b. Offer universal, quality pre-primary education for all 3-4-year olds by 2025. In two and a half years, we have doubled the enrolment of 3-4-year olds in an approved pre-primary program.
This initiative was launched in 2018 with the goal of increasing the number of 3 and 4-year olds enrolled in a pre-primary programmes. This has indeed been achieved by increasing the number of free spaces available for students in public and private preschools. Through the Public Private Preschool Voucher Programme students who cannot be accommodated in the public preschools in their residential area, are provided with a voucher to pay for the tuition at a Ministry of Education approved private preschool
...to continue see attached
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