NASSAU, BAHAMAS — After a two-year, COVID-19-imposed hiatus, Lyford Cay Foundations’ (LCF) FOCUS Programme officially returned to face-to-face sessions at the University of The Bahamas (UB) Oakes Field Campus.
On Saturday, March 19, LCF and UB officials celebrated the return of the student enrichment and college readiness programme, marking the continuation of over 25 years of partnership between LCF and UB.
“We are extremely excited to be welcoming our FOCUS students back to the UB campus after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Lyford Cay Foundation, Inc. Chairman Basil Goulandris.
“Thank you to the Ministry of Education and the University of The Bahamas for partnering with Lyford Cay Foundations for so many years. We look forward to all the years to come.”
FOCUS, an acronym for “Forward, Onward to College, Upward to Success”, is an out-of-school-time, tuition-free enrichment programme aimed at preparing public school students of demonstrated potential and need for college readiness and access. Students begin the programme the summer after the fourth grade and are supported throughout their school career until graduation.
FOCUS also supports teachers in training. The majority of interns are UB School of Education majors, who will eventually be teaching in the country’s public school system. Since its inception in 2011, the FOCUS programme has served roughly 400 students and has so far had three graduating cohorts.
The return to the UB campus marked a milestone for the programme following extended virtual sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the virtual sessions, FOCUS continued to grow and adapt to meet the holistic needs of the students. FOCUS helped students overcome learning disruptions brought on by the pandemic through a diagnostic programme that provided targeted academic support and individualized tutoring. MiFi devices and tablets were also provided to students to improve remote learning access.
“The FOCUS programme has literally changed the trajectory of young Bahamians for the better, and the generosity of so many will forever be appreciated as we invest in the future leaders of this great country,” said UB Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Maria Oriakhi.
Minister of Education and Technical and Vocational Training Glenys Hanna-Martin, said it is partnerships like the one UB and the LCF have cemented that help to unearth the hidden academic potential in The Bahamas.
“This little, small nation with populations on different little rocks and cays in the middle of the sea, God has deemed it correct and right to endow so many of our people with physical prowess, intellectual prowess, creative prowess, and such that it rises to the attention of the world,” said Hanna-Martin.
“This is a fact; this is not just sweet talk. So, once we know that fact, and that God has been so generous to us, the least we could do is to develop all that we are, and who we are, and what we are as we move forward every day.”
UB Board of Trustees Chair Allyson Maynard-Gibson, Q.C., reaffirmed UB’s commitment to the continued academic and professional success of FOCUS students.
“University of The Bahamas is fully committed to your success, and we are just one of many institutions that are here for you, here to make sure that all of the potential that God has given you will be fully developed to make you productive citizens not just of The Bahamas, but of the world. The Bahamas is shaping the world,” said Maynard-Gibson.
LCF Executive Director, Dr. Nicola Virgill-Rolle, also encouraged FOCUS students to dream big and work hard.
“Some of you will solve great problems, and some of you will create great art and produce great ideas,” said Virgill-Rolle.
“You are the future, always remember that.”
