NASSAU, The Bahamas – As the Ministry of Education (MOE) embarks on the 2020-2021 new school year, Minister of Education, the Hon. Jeffrey Lloyd, appealed to every sector of the Bahamian society -- families, churches, employers, with human and physical resources and spaces -- to extend their grace and assist in the education of students.

“We hear the cries of parents who lament the need for supervision for their children during virtual instruction. We hear the cries of parents lamenting the need for multiple devices for their children to allow every child access to education,” said Minister Lloyd.

As he provided an update to the House of Assembly on the Ministry’s plans for the new academic school year, he expressed appreciation to churches that have agreed to assist children in Care Centers that they will operate. He urged parents to pay close attention as a list of these churches and community organizations is being prepared and will be posted in the media.

Moreover, Minister Lloyd emphasized that for the MOE to be truly ready for the reopening of school every student must be equipped with the resources necessary to function in the new normal. He acknowledged the generosity of The Nassau Chapter of Links and the 1986 graduating class of A.F. Adderley Junior High School for their donations to help to prepare students for the new school year.  

He highlighted and thanked donors who have recently volunteered to assist. They are:

• Governor General His Excellency the Most Hon. Cornelius A. Smith • LENO Bahamas • Commonwealth Bank • Dr. Barry Rassin • Karl Allen • The Lyford Cay Foundation • The Commonwealth of Learning • Rotary Clubs of Nassau • Adventist Development & Relief Agency • Pan American Development Foundation • The One Eleuthera Foundation • Bahamas Red Cross • Aliv & Cable Bahamas  and One on One.

“The Ministry invites more partners in this great initiative, one that is an investment in the future of The Bahamas. Each donation, whether big or small, brings us closer to our goal to ensure that no child is left behind,” he said.

Furthermore, Minister Lloyd explained that the devices will first be distributed to the students who are a part of the Ministry’s Lunch Voucher Program. There are currently 5,087 students on this program and that number continues to increase. Tablets and Wi-Fi devices will be distributed to the students on the program the throughout the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

In New Providence, the Lunch Program students must collect the vouchers from the schools they attended in March 2020 on Friday, October 2, 2020 as indicated:

Last names A -- G - Friday, October 2; H -- O, Monday, October 5.  The remainder: October 6.   Afterwards, students may collect their device from any Aliv outlet store, beginning Saturday, October 3, or any workday thereafter.

The student must be accompanied by his/her parent who will sign for the device on their child's behalf. A picture identification (ID) must be presented by the student and parent for verification. Students who don't have an ID can produce their June 2020 Report Card. No device will be issued without proper ID by both parent and child.

All other parents of students not on the lunch program may purchase a device from the same Aliv store, or any tech store. Instead of the usual school supplies, he asked parents to invest in an electronic device to facilitate their children’s learning. Parents are encouraged to obtain devices with the specs outlined by the MOE on the Ministry’s web page.

In the Family Islands, except the South Central Bahamas, beginning Wednesday of next week, devices will be distributed to lunch voucher students. These islands are Grand Bahama, Eleuthera, Andros and Abaco. Devices have already been distributed to students in the South Central Bahamas. They are: the MICAL constituency, South Andros and Cat Island.