Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Science and Technology the Hon. I. Chester Cooper said over the past several years, the Ministry has been doing the hard work of strengthening the foundations of education: literacy and numeracy, school safety, special needs assessments and services, attendance, teacher recruitment and school infrastructure.
The DPM said, “That work is yielding results. First, teachers. This summer, we recruited more than 100 Bahamian teachers, with more candidates currently going through the vetting process,” the DPM said during a National Address on the Revolution in Education on Sunday, August 30, 2026.
He explained that the summer began with a real teacher shortage, and every gap has not been closed. “But we are closing those gaps, and our schools will open tomorrow with more Bahamian teachers than we had in June.”
He said the government has served more than two million breakfasts through the National School Breakfast Programme.
“This academic year, we are expanding the programme with a pilot at the junior high level, including C.H. Reeves, L.W. Young and Sir Jack Hayward Junior High. No child should be expected to sit in a classroom and learn on an empty stomach.”
The DPM also noted that there are now 67 special education units and programmes across The Bahamas, including 22 in the Family Islands, with new units coming this term at Bartlett Hill Primary and Holmes Rock Junior High in Grand Bahama with assessments planned for every school and every island.
He said, “This matters because of excellence and inclusion.”
The DPM also said this September, the Ministry will begin a pilot in selected schools that will put laptops or tablets directly into the hands of students and teachers.
He explained that it is an important first step toward the larger goal of ensuring that geography does not determine access to opportunity, and that eventually a child in Mayaguana or Staniel Cay has access to the same educational technology as a child in New Providence or Grand Bahama.
The DPM said this year, under the leadership of Prime Minister Davis, the government is investing more than $400 million directly in education.
“We are seeing some return on that investment. Last year, 59 per cent of our students graduated with the National High School Diploma; the highest rate since the diploma was introduced. Not yet good enough. But it tells us that progress is possible, and we are moving towards our goal of 85 per cent by 2030.”
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