Why Educational Stakeholders Must Act
Stakeholders—from teachers and school leaders, to parents, community‑partners, and policy‑makers—must widen their lens. It’s no longer purely about curricula, textbooks, and teaching strategies. It’s also about student well‑being, home‑school connections, early identification of hidden burdens, and embedding supports as integral to learning success.
What Can School‑Communities Do Right Now (Call to Action)
• Start a “Check‑In” protocol: Weekly teacher‑student well‑being check‑ins.
• Map the “hidden burdens”: Collect anonymous data to identify hunger, housing, or stress patterns.
• Strengthen partnerships: Link with local NGOs, faith‑based groups, and foodbanks.
• Embed “catch‑up plus care” sessions: Combine academic remediation with social‑emotional supports.
• Advocate for resourcing: Schools must make the case that exam outcomes depend on student readiness.
Conclusion
If we want to raise the bar on exam results and not simply blame students or schools, we must widen our view of what “school readiness” really means. Hunger, stress, instability, and trauma are real barriers to success—and tackling them requires united action from every level of Bahamian society.
Sources & Further Reading
1. Government of The Bahamas. “Education Ministry Undertakes Learning Loss Assessment to Review the Impact of COVID‑19 on Education.” (2023)
2. Global School Health Survey (GSHS) Bahamas Fact Sheet 2023.
3. Jones, G. “Parental Monitoring and Risky Behaviour in Bahamian Youth.” Int. J. of Bahamian Studies (2012)
4. IDB News. “IDB Report Highlights Deficiencies in The Bahamas Education System for 21st Century Skills.” (2024)
5. Kellock, K. “Come Pandemic and Lockdowns, School Must Go On!” Caribbean Palimpsest in Education (2023).
Written by Dr. Kevin A. Hall
#TheWayBahamas #EducationalLeadership #StudentSuccess #BahamianEducation
