UNESCO. General Conference; 30th; Records ... - unesdoc - Unesco

population the value of education for lifelong living and the importance of a literate citizenry to the development
of small island States such as ours. For our efforts in this regard, we are pleased to announce that our former
Director of Education, who initiated the “Let’s read Bahamas” project was awarded an honourable mention in the
International Literacy Prize for 1999.
11.6 Madam President, as we seek to prepare our citizens for twenty-first century living, we have made
specific efforts to translate some of our major concerns into curricular programmes, including the teaching of
computer literacy/computer science and the incorporation of computers into schools as a means of instruction,
especially at the primary level; secondly, we are changing from the traditional teaching methods to more crosscurricular
approaches, as reflected in our participation in the solid waste and vector control projects organized by
the Ministry of Health, the Pan-American Health Organization and the World Health Organization; and thirdly,
the popularization of science in the wider community, through the joint efforts of the Ministry of Education, the
College of the Bahamas, the Ministry of Tourism and corporate citizens, is ongoing. We have mounted
workshops in eco-tourism and greenhouse management and implemented compensatory educational programmes
such as the Youth Empowerment and Skills Training scheme known as YEAST, national literacy services and
4-H clubs.
11.7 More than any other enterprise, education is crucial to all national endeavours. Its quality for the most
part depends on the professionals who staff our schools. Quality service from teaching personnel determines both
the standard of education in the country and the status accorded the teaching profession. Therefore, if schools are
to provide quality service they must be staffed by highly qualified and motivated individuals. Historically,
incentives in the Bahamas education system have tended to favour administrators, while teachers were rewarded
according to a single scale regardless of job demands and performance. This practice has resulted in (a) a
perception of teaching as not highly valued, and (b) a conviction that advancement within the system can be
achieved only by leaving the classroom to become an administrator. It should be pointed out that not all teachers
aspire to an administrative career. Therefore, if the quality of education is to be enhanced, outstanding teachers
must be encouraged to remain in the classroom and still receive fair compensation on the basis of merit for their
service.
11.8 Distinguished delegates, we stand on the threshold of the twenty-first century, a century which, from all
indications, will bring new opportunities, new challenges and new ideas. It will be a century in which the
progress of globalization will be accelerated and expanded. If the people of the Bahamas are to embrace the
opportunities presented by globalization and respond appropriately to its challenges, they must be equipped with
relevant knowledge, skills and attitudes. While these outcomes are cultivated by the educational system
generally, exposure to higher education provides opportunities for their refinement and consolidation. In its
efforts to provide equal educational opportunities for all, the College of the Bahamas has embraced the new
technology and is putting in place systems that will enable family islanders to pursue higher education objectives
without leaving their home districts during the current academic year. This has been made possible by assistance
from UNESCO, which provided funding for the establishment of a distance education facility at the College of
the Bahamas.
11.9 Madam President, the Bahamas welcomes UNESCO’s insistence that young people should feature more
prominently in the decision-making of their country’s growth and development. The governing bodies of this
Organization have convened the World Parliament of Children and we consider this a positive step in this
direction. The Bahamas is very grateful to have had two representatives in attendance and looks forward to the
effective implementation of the objectives outlined in the Manifesto.
11.10 Regional examples of environmental initiatives are evidenced in the Caribbean Sea project, supported
by UNESCO and the Caribbean Associated Schools Project to which I referred earlier. The ideas expressed
therein give focus to the economic, social, and cultural importance for the Caribbean Sea.
11.11 The recent devastation of several islands in the subregion by Hurricane George, and in our particular
case by Hurricane Floyd, has heightened the need for appropriate mechanisms for disaster preparedness. The
considerable resources and expertise of UNESCO may be of invaluable assistance in areas such as awareness
programmes, the training of disaster relief workers, the provision and acquisition of technology and assistance
with the monitoring and tracking of hurricanes and other natural disasters. Given the strategic position of the
islands, the Bahamas Government would be pleased to serve as the regional centre for UNESCO’s
interdisciplinary and intersectoral actions focused on research and training activities aimed at reducing
vulnerability to natural disasters, disaster preparedness, prevention and post-disaster evaluations and assessments.
11.12 In conclusion, Madam President and distinguished delegates, following the launch of the “Focus”
initiative, Caribbean Member States agreed on the priority areas for consideration. These included disaster
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