By ANGELO ARMBRISTER

Freeport News Reporter

angelo4news@yahoo.com

A national average of D+ is cause for concern, but according to Freeport District Superintendent Sandra Edgecombe, not all schools are failing.

"I know you have heard the minister talk about this D+ average, yes when you look at the big picture of all of the schools in The Bahamas, big schools, small schools, private schools, government schools it is a D+," she said. "If you begin to isolate each individual school and judge it on its own merit our schools are not all failing."

Noting that schools like Bishop Michael Eldon High, Sunland Baptist Academy and Lucayan International excelled in their national exams, Edgecombe said the island's government high schools did just as well.

"I stand here to say that there are results in St. Georges and Jack Hayward that mirror Michael Eldon, Sunland and Lucayan International," she said.

Edgecombe was speaking at the Rotary Club of Lucaya's regular weekly meeting at the Ruby Swiss Restaurant where she addressed some major issues impacting the education system.

"In high schools, we realise the problem of reading, especially among our young boys," explained Edgecombe.

This, she says, is a problem that has existed for a long time that has led to a lot of the frustration often expressed by males in society.

"They act up because they cannot read," she said.

To that end, she said reading for all high school students is mandatory.

"I have said to the two principals of the high schools, that with the early start of the day, every child, teacher and administrator must read together every morning," she said.

"Every child must be registered to the library and they must each have a book."

Pointing out that all students are required by the ministry to sit BJC and BGCSE examinations, Edgecombe said that it also includes those students that aren't strong readers.

She explained that when a certain majority of them have difficulty reading, it does not paint a fair or accurate picture of what is really going on in schools.

She added that if the stories of some of the students that attend these school were told, then the public would have a better understanding of why things are the way they are.

"Just to hear that the reading level of the average student at the Eight Mile Rock High School was at a fifth grade level is not enough," she said. "How many of you toured areas like Jones Town, Sea Grape, Pinedale and have seen where those children come from."

She said that many of the homes are far in the back of the bush, "through the track road don't have indoor plumbing, still don't have electricity and yet those children must go home at the end of the day and do homework and course work.

"There is no encyclopaedia, no computers in some cases there is not even a parent capable of supervising the children. Most of what they see are under the guinep tree, sapodilla tree and out in the front yard pushing some drugs," she said. "That is what they see and yet they come to school everyday and do their best."

The former principal said too often the only stories that are heard of school are negative.

"Things like our teachers only complain, our students only fight and administration doesn't care, but I say that this is the opposite of what is happening in our schools," she said.

"I say that it is far from the truth, all of those negative things are being said about our schools. When in fact our schools are bursting with eager young people who are talented and well behaved."

ADDRESSING EDUCATION – Freeport District Superintendent Sandra Edgecombe addressed major issues impacting the education system when she spoke at the Lucaya Rotary Club meeting on Tuesday.

(Staff photo by ANGELO ARMBRISTER)