When 12-year-old Nerles Nicholas graduated with honors from Sybil Strachan Primary School in June, he was anxious to begin his high school career.

But weeks later, his dreams were dashed as his lack of documentation to prove his legal status would effectively deny him entry into the next phase of his education.

Nerles is among several children in the local Haitian-Bahamian community currently being kept out of school because they do not have the proper documents to be registered.

The Department of Immigration along with the Ministry of Education implemented a policy last year that required all non-Bahamian students to possess a student permit or a passport with a residency stamp in order to be enrolled in a school.

The requirement also applies to children who are born in The Bahamas but have foreign parents and have yet to gain status.

The annual permit costs $25 with a processing fee of $100.

Prime Minister Perry Christie has said that no child in The Bahamas would be prevented from getting an education if he or she does not have a permit.

But those who tried to enroll Nerles in school, said that's not the case.

"I feel like that's selfish and it isn't his fault," said Armani Alouidor, Nerles' neighbor.

"His parents are illegal and it isn't his fault completely and his daddy isn't here to help him or nothing, so I feel like that's selfish in a way and its depriving him of his right to an education."

Alouidor said she attempted to register Nerles at Anatol Rodgers High School because his mother is undocumented, so she was unable to go into the school herself.

"I went to the school with the registration money and some of the stuff they asked for but they wanted his birth certificate," Alouidor said.

"He wasn't registered but he had an affidavit, but they still didn't accept it and they sent me for his NIB (National Insurance Board) card and that's a long process.

"They wouldn't give him the card without a passport and he can't get his Haitian passport until six months, so we couldn't do it because he doesn't have his passport currently.

"Now we are waiting.

"We are going to do a Mantoux [tuberculosis screening test] and we will try to see if we can get a birth certificate for him.

"But the other stuff we can't get yet like the passport and the NIB card because the passport takes long."

Nerles' mother, who asked that we not disclose her name, said, "I feel hurt and disappointed that I have to keep Nerles out of school."

She explained that she also has a four-year-old daughter who is currently in the hospital, so she does not have enough time to keep going back and forth to get Nerles' documents.

She described Nerles as very active in sports and very smart with a lot of potential.

Louby Georges, a local talk show host and activist in the Haitian-Bahamian community, said, "There is no way we can benefit from allowing children not to go to school, so this needs to be dealt with.

"These are children born here and they will become Bahamian in the future.

"If we are stifling their growth, we are stifling the growth of the country."

Adeline Louise, mother of three, expressed similar concerns for her children who she said, are also not enrolled in school.
Louise's children who are 15, 11, and 9 were also born in The Bahamas but do not have status.

"I'm frustrated, but sometimes I get over it because I realize it's not only me, there's a lot of parents out there that is going through the same thing," Louise said.

"I've been to Social Services to see if they can help me.

"I was born here, but I don't have a proper document.

"I've applied for my citizenship, so all I have with me is my Haitian passport and my birth certificate, so from there they couldn't help me with that.

"They kept telling me I need a Bahamian passport in order for them to serve me."

Louise also said that her children do not have a Haitian or Bahamian passport.

All three children were previously registered at Sybil Strachan Primary School or Anatol Rodgers High School but with the new policy, she said it's hard for her to get back them back into school.

She also said she's facing financial hardships in trying to get the children prepared for school.

"Everything takes money," she said.

When asked if the children do anything to try to keep up with their school work Louise said, "Sometimes I make them pick up a book, or the older sister tries to teach them something."

The children have already missed three weeks of school since its fall reopening.

Director of Education Lionel Sands told The Nassau Guardian Monday that he was not aware of any student not getting into school because they did not have the proper documents.

"Every parent that came to me, whether parent of Haitian or Bahamian nationality was sorted out during the summer," Sands said.

"Those persons never came to me.

"I am not aware of any child who is still out of school whose parents came to me seeking assistance."

Sands further explained the circumstances of the student permit for all students.

"The child who is being registered must have one or both parents being a Bahamian," he said.

"If they can't show that, then they must prove that the parents are here [in The Bahamas] for legitimate reasons."

Sands also indicated that even if the parents did not have proper documentation and could not provide legitimate reasons for being here, something can still be done for the children.

"Whenever the child presents themselves, whether here legally or not, the child would be allowed in the school provisionally registered, until the parents are registered legitimately.

"However, there is an end period to that time.

"That means the parent would have to get the proper documentation between September to December.

"No child should be home at this particular time."

Sloan Smith, Guardian Staff Reporter

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