Good evening my fellow Bahamians, my brothers and sisters and to all people of good will throughout the length and breadth of this nation.

It is my humble privilege to address you once again as public schools reopenand as children and young people all over the country return to classrooms. Theschool campus is an incredibly sensitive and dynamic space.

Important work is undertaken there every day with the objective of effecting thehealthy development and empowering spirit and energy and inciting the boundlesstalents of an emerging generation. But the realization of these objectives is notrestricted to this space and requires broad based inputs. It is the entire villagewhich contributes either directly or indirectly to these objectives and in forging afuture of hope. It takes a village!

You as tax payers and we as policymakers, have willingly accepted that a significantpercentage of national revenue should be invested in education and each year tensof millions are invested in education. This is because we know and accept thateducation is a national priority and the key to our future; as it is the preparationground for emerging generations. It is our role to ensure levels of accountability forthe investment of these resources in particular, in how well stated outcomes areattained and in the interest of the Bahamian people and in securing a great futurefor our country. In the Ministry of Education, we have therefore determined topause and take a critical look at our educational system, to assess past outcomes,measure current results and research and study strategies for reform and progress.

We know and are of the strong conviction that with the right strategies andformula, we will procure a greater yield and stronger outcomes for our youngpeople. At a minimum, we must ensure that our children leave that space fullyliterate, numerate, technically skilled, able to think critically and imbued with selfconfidence as they enter their adult years or move on to tertiary or furthereducation. In preparation for this course of action, it was deemed important tostrengthen the network of parents, teachers, administrators and the Ministry itselfto ensure better information flow and collaboration and as a buttress of supportfor the development of our young people.