More Than Academic Advancement Needed For National Development:
By Vanessa C. Rolle -
Nassau, Bahamas:

A national ‘D’ average in the 2007 Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education [BGCSE] exams will not necessarily jeopardize the Bahamian economy, according to the Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing.

In an interview with The Bahama Journal, Minister Laing suggested that the country’s goal of national development hinges on more than just academic advancement.

"It is not fair to our own selves that we continue to make our assessment of where we are as a people simply on the basis of a grade - even if a grade was an ‘A,’" said Mr. Laing.

"That is not to say academics is not important, but I do believe that we have to focus on some other things. If you look, for instance, at many of the entrepreneurs in this society and societies around the world, most of them are not ‘A’ students or ‘B’ students. Most of them are ‘C’ students. Some of them are below ‘C’ students and they contributed to the overall economic development of their countries..and even of ours."

Mr. Laing, a former youth worker, opined that Bahamians must develop broader and deeper considerations of the education system and the education process. He referred to existing research which has indicated that emotional intelligence accounts for as much as 80 percent of a person’s success in life and in the workplace, as opposed to academic intelligence.

Only 788 candidates – roughly 12 percent of all BGCSE exam-takers – received at least grade ‘C’ in five or more subjects, a preliminary requirement for entrance into the College of the Bahamas.

Twenty-six BGCSE and 10 BJC subjects were offered.

One thousand, three hundred and thirty-five BJC candidates – about 17.6 percent of all BJC exam-takers – obtained five or more BJC subjects at grade C or above.

Mr. Laing refused to classify the national educational system as a failure.

"I can’t say that because within the educational system of the country, there are schools that perform very well," he said, naming such schools as N. G. M. Major High School in Long Island and L. N. Coakley High School in Exuma.

"They are in the same public education system and they have been able to show some good performances. Within the public education system, there are scores of students who also perform well," said the junior finance minister.

"The education system has challenges. There is no question about that …but failed? Quite frankly I don’t think so, even though I believe that there are significant challenges that we have to overcome."

He conceded that the educational system has much work to do to produce better results. Its biggest challenge, he said, is the extent to which parents are not as adequately involved with their children’s education as they ought to be, especially when it comes to managing their children at home.

"That is a huge problem," he said.

"Every bit of research we can find can support the fact that if parents are adequately involved in their children’s education, children tend to succeed or far better. When they do not, the reverse happens – the opposite happens. So I think that’s the biggest challenge in education today."

Minister Laing said that he does not believe that Bahamians will ever be able to accept a ‘D’ or ‘E’ as a national average, notwithstanding that a ‘D’ is a passing grade.

"I believe that we have shown and demonstrated over the years in this country, a capacity to be productive. I have no doubt that we can be even more productive. While our education advancement is certainly going to be a part of increasing that productivity, there are other things that have to be a part of it."

He said that Bahamians must begin to embrace social intelligence and look at how they deal with others and themselves.

21 August 2007