NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Minister of Education Glenys Hanna-Martin advised yesterday that the government is reviewing the Bahamas High School Diploma as some students miss the mark to graduate in part due to the pandemic.
Hanna-Martin’s comments come as parents have called on the government to ease those criteria.
Speaking to reporters outside Cabinet, Hanna-Martin noted that there are two issues with the matter, one is the COVID-19 issue with students not being able to sign onto the virtual learning platform, which is currently being addressed by the ministry and individual schools with supplementary programs.
“There is another category of people who have come through the school and for one reason or another there’s a missing component for the high school diploma and some are finding out at this point that when they are thinking they supposed to graduate that they are finding out they can’t graduate,” she said.
“We are reviewing that now. It’s very late in the game now. The school year is ending shortly, so I don’t think you will be seeing fundamental reform in that regard.
Hanna-Martin said: “But we are reviewing it because it’s my view that aspects of that must be revisited without lowering academic standards, to see how we can not create barriers and be more facilitative for performing students. So that is underway.
“There are also recovery programs in the school to allow catch up for children who are facing challenges.”
The government introduced the Bahamas High School Diploma criteria in 2014.
According to the Ministry of Education, the minimum criteria to earn the BHSD is for students to attain four subjects in the Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) Examinations, complete 27 credit hours in grades 10—12, maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average of 2.0 over the three years, complete 30 hours of unpaid Community Service, complete 20 hours of job readiness training, and maintain 90 percent or higher attendance and punctuality.
It is also a requirement that parents participate in a minimum of three parent/teacher conferences between grades 10-12.
These high schools have NO recovery programs. How is it that an honour student failed one class during covid due to a teacher not being “tech savvy” cannot receive a diploma or recover the grade. School system is trash. But then you want them to be interested in school while the high school told them they are not eligible for a diploma because of one F for the entire 3 years of being enrolled in high school.
Put in place asap a national GED exam. Then students too old to remain in high school or have missed some requirements, have a clear cut path to earn a GED . They can study maaterial provided and take the exam like they do in other nations
That is a great idea. You should send that it to their office by email. Or try and meet with someone. I had a cousin who did it many years ago after failing in school, he graduated valedictorian.
My daugther is 3.23 GPA and was told that she cannot walk for graduation because she schooled in the USA for for grades 9, 10 and first term of 11 so she didn’t take the 4 bjc’s to qualify to graduate and even though she is taking them this year along with BJCSE’s, she cant get her diploma until after they get the results back after the summer. She is heart broken…Why go to school for 12 years to be told you cant graduate…this is so discouraging.