Coaches in the public school system have decided not to stand in solidarity with the Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT), and have opted to continue with their regular seasons in the Government Secondary Schools Sporting Association's (GSSSA) afterschool program.
The decision to return to the court was made by the New Providence Association of Public High School Principals (NPPAHSP), which has the full support of the Minister of Education, Science and Technology Jerome Fitzgerald. In fact, Fitzgerald and T. Nicola McKay, the president of the NPPAHSP, which is the governing body for the GSSSA, were at the D.W. Davis gymnasium yesterday to witness the tip-off of the 2013/14 basketball season.
While McKay confirmed that 15 of the 16 registered public schools have agreed to participate in the afterschool program, Fitzgerald said he will not play games when it comes to the education of Bahamian children and has given the green light to McKay to replace, where necessary, any teacher/coach who has not reported to their respective activities.
"It is unfortunate, however, that the BUT and its president have now reached well beyond their authority and their responsibilities with regards to afterschool programs," said Fitzgerald. "The BUT does not run the Ministry of Education and the afterschool program. I have said it before, and I will say it again, that the Ministry of Education is responsible for schools in The Bahamas and the management thereof, and not the BUT.
"With regards to afterschool programs, those are governed by the constitution of the New Providence Association of Public High School Principals, which is the governing body for the Government Secondary Schools Sporting Association (GSSSA). As was indicated, principal McKay of C.R. Walker is the president of that association."
Only the president of the NPPAHSP and the president of the GSSSA have the authority to call a meeting with the teachers/coaches, according to McKay. President of the GSSSA, Kevin 'K.J.' Johnson revealed that there's no rift in his executive board and the association is operating smoothly in a cohesive manner. The members of the executive board include Johnson, Penial Bain, Albert Simmons, Verral Davis, Tia Rolle, Tamara Bodie and Mark Hanna.
McKay said: "The GSSSA's president has been given word by the principals' association that 15 of the 16 secondary schools have committed to participating in the sports calendar set out by the GSSSA, and we are anticipating a vibrant season.
"There is no coaching association, so the meeting that would have been held yesterday by one of the executives, Verral Davis, would not have been sanctioned by the GSSSA or the NPPAHSP. If she chooses to call a meeting on her own, that is fine, but she cannot do it in the name of the GSSSA. If there is a problem among the coaches, they can resort to appealing to the principals' association, with matters pertaining to the GSSSA. If nothing is solved, then we will turn it over to the Director of Education, Lionel Sands, and then in turn to the minister of education."
The teacher/coaches receive a stipend of $1,500 for every sport coached. However, they are only paid for the five core sports.

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