Only six schools out of approximately 100 averaged a grade of C+ or above in the Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) exams, Minister of Education, Science and Technology Jerome Fitzgerald revealed yesterday.

This includes both public and private schools which sat more than 20 papers.

Fitzgerald explained that each exam counts as one paper.

Only three schools in the nation attained a school grade average of B-.

Another three schools attained a school grade average of C+.

Fitzgerald did not name the six schools or whether they are public or private schools.

He said while some private schools have the luxury of recruiting and accepting some of the best students, there is no guarantee the students will perform well.

"In far too many cases, many parents shirk their obligation to their children's education by securing themselves in the thought that their children are in a private school and so they have done their part as parents," Fitzgerald told hundreds of educators during the Public School Administrators Workshop at Police Headquarters on East Street.

The Ministry of Education released results for the 2013 BGCSE exams last Thursday.

BGCSE English scores remained at a D letter grade, while math scores fell from E+ to E.

The minister said students who do well in school do so for the most part because of their parents' vested interest in their education.

He said he is more concerned about some parents' lack of involvement in their children's education than recruitment, training, improving leadership skills, capital and human resources investments.

"We can address the curriculum, teacher training, intervention strategies, but we can never fully develop the child if he or she has bad parents," Fitzgerald said.

"...There is no doubt, and study after study has shown, that the greatest contributing factor to a child's educational success is the involvement of the parents in their child's education.

"We must deduce that the poor performance of some of our children is as much a reflection of some of the inadequacies in our education system as it is a reflection of the failure of their parents to instill education as a value to them."

Fitzgerald asked whether "we have bad children or just bad parents?

Do we have failing students or just failing parents?" He said administrators need to be more accountable for children's development, including addressing issues that negatively impact them outside of school.

Last week, former Minister of Education Desmond Bannister said the exam results indicate the Christie administration "doesn't have a clue" about education.

He encouraged Fitzgerald to follow through with the Ingraham administration's education initiatives.

But Fitzgerald said education should not be politicized and a recently created bipartisan education committee will "not hold education hostage to a political or personal agenda".

"I would encourage that particular member to show a little political maturity and do the same thing," he said. "Education is bigger than one person and one party."

He thanked Opposition Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis and in particular former Minister of Education Carl Bethel "for exhibiting political maturity and placing the advancement of our citizens ahead of politics".

INITIATIVES Fitzgerald said four major initiatives will be unveiled in the new school year: The opening of a special needs school at the former Our Lady's Catholic School; the opening of the Mable Walker Professional Development Institute; the introduction of the standardized graduation diploma and the establishment of T. G. Glover as a research and development school.

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