As we continue to digest the dismal results of the national exams released by the Ministry of Education earlier this week, and its implications for the future development of our nation, we are reminded of the importance of good teaching in school.
In the BGCSE, the average grade for English Language was a D. The average grade for Mathematics was E+. The average grades in many other subjects were not much better. The fact that these results marked an improvement offers little consolation.
Thursday's editorial focused on education reform in general. Our focus today is the quality of teaching in our public school system.
There are many excellent teachers in the system who have dedicated their lives to the education of generations of young Bahamians. Through mastery of their subject matter as well as a passion for imparting this knowledge, these teachers have contributed significantly to national development.
Today, many teachers find themselves in the position of having to act as surrogate parents for students whose home lives are extraordinarily difficult.
The range of disciplinary problems confronted by teachers makes an already challenging profession even more difficult.
However, the quality of much of the teaching in our public schools is poor and weak.
Prime Minister Perry Christie, responding to the national exam results, told The Nassau Guardian's News Editor Candia Dames that a "new culture" for learning is needed if we are to improve student performances in the most basic areas.
"Year in and year out we talk the same talk and [get] the same results... We have to make a major, major effort to break through to where we ought to be because it's so necessary to the future of the country," the prime minister said.
A part of that "new culture" Prime Minister Christie is referring to must include re-thinking how teachers teach if our students are to improve their scores, and more importantly reach their full potential.
The standard system of learning used in traditional schools is no longer sufficient. It reaches only a certain segment of students and does little to encourage creativity and critical thinking.
Teachers must make learning exciting, interesting, motivating and relevant.
Two programs that education officials might learn from, that have been shown to engage teachers and students and transform schools, are the International Baccalaureate (IB) and Expeditionary Learning (EL) systems.
The IB program provides a framework of academic challenge that encourages students to embrace and understand connections between traditional subjects and the real world, and become critical and reflective thinkers. In New Providence, St. Andrew's School and Lyford Cay School are IB schools.
The EL program provides a model that challenges students -- even those starting with low skill levels -- with high-level tasks and active roles in the classroom. Students focus upon the real world application of standards-based content.
Programs such as these create the necessary skills to compete in this knowledge-based globalized world.
One of the planks in the Progressive Liberal Party's campaign platform was its promise to double the investment in education. If Prime Minister Perry Christie is serious about creating a new culture in learning, this increased investment could go a long way in providing the necessary resources to reform public education.
There is much work to be done, and a change in teaching will not happen overnight, but it can begin on a smaller scale, perhaps starting with a pilot program in one of the public schools.
Improving the quality of teachers is just a part of the answer.
More discussion on the improvement of teaching in our primary and secondary schools is needed. One of the toughest battles Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald may have to fight is the development of a more rigorous protocol for teacher evaluation.
This includes better assessment of the productivity and overall performance of teachers, using a range of transparent and fair metrics.
For successful reform of public education, tackling this complex and potentially thorny issue will require deft politics and public support. The Bahamas Union of Teachers will also have to be onboard.
The campaign to improve the quality of teaching in our public school system must be joined by the public at large. This is critical if those battling for reform are to have any chance of success.

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