PLP confirm Killarney, Carmichael candidates
tribune242
THE PLP has confirmed that the party will run financial services consultant Jerome Gomez in Killarney and Dr Daniel Johnson in Carmichael in the next general election.
According to a PLP release, Mr Gomez, a financial services consultant and former member of several Government boards, was ratified by the PLP's National General Council on Thursday evening as the Killarney candidate.
Meanwhile, Dr Daniel Johnson, a podiatrist, son-in-law of the late Sir Lynden Pindling and son of former MP for Cat Island Oscar Johnson, will run under the party's banner in Carmichael.
Presently, the Killarney seat is held by Dr Hubert Minnis, also Minister of Health, and Carmichael is represented by Desmond Bannister, Minister of Education.
Mr Gomez, 46, is the principal of the chartered accounting firm Baker Tilly Gomez and has previously worked at Shell Bahamas Limited and Barclays Bank in various positions.
He is the managing director of Gomez Corporate Management Ltd., a licensed financial and corporate service provider, and Gestfinanz (Bahamas Ltd.), a Bahamian licensed securities investment advisor.
As a Fund Administrator for the Bahamas Entrepreneurial Venture Fund, the government sponsored venture capital fund, the party noted that Mr Gomez has "had the privilege of providing hundreds of entrepreneurs with business consulting services."
Mr Gomez served for a period as chairman of the Hospitals and Health Care Facilities Licensing Board, deputy chairman of the Town Planning Committee and a member of the Real Estate Disciplinary Committee.
He is a graduate of St. Augustine's College and holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance from Barry University, Miami, Florida. He is married to Jean Gomez (nee Shannon) and is the father of five children.
The party did not release any further information about Dr Johnson.
August 23, 2010
tribune242
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
Showing posts with label Desmond Bannister. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Desmond Bannister. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Desmond Bannister - Education Minister says: Mathematics and English test scores reflect an issue of "national concern"
E- and D ‘national concern’
By TANEKA THOMPSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
tthompson@tribunemedia.net:
STUDENTS sitting mathematics and English courses in this year's Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education exams (BGCSE) received average grades of E- and D respectively.
Still, mathematics and English are part of 16 subjects that showed some improvement in grade point averages compared to last year, including art and design A, art and design B, art and design C, biology, bookkeeping and accounts, chemistry, economics, food and nutrition, French, graphical communication, literature, office procedures, physics and religious studies.
The mathematics and English test scores reflect an issue of "national concern" highlighting the need for continued emphasis on improving literacy and numeracy skills in students, said Education Minister Desmond Bannister yesterday.
The subjects with the best results this year are art and design A, art and design B, art and design C, and carpentry and joinery with average grades of C+. The average test result of students who sat the bookkeeping/accounting exams was an E-.
Only four subjects saw an improvement in letter grades over last year. Art and design A and art and design C saw an average grade of C+, an improvement over the average grade of C in both subjects last year. The average grade in economics and office procedures was a D+, an improvement from D and D- respectively .
Geography, which recorded average grades of C this year and in 2009, was the only subject which did not see an increase or decrease in GPA or letter grade comparisons to last year.
The biggest improvement "in the history of the examination" was shown in the number of students who received at least a C or above in five or more subjects.
"There's been a general trend of improvement this year and that is where we are looking to go in the Bahamas with respect to results.
"This year the increase in the number of candidates who were successful in obtaining five or more subjects at grade 'C' or higher shows possibly the biggest improvement in this statistics in the history of the examination, improving to 921 compared to 834 in 2008 and 788 in 2007,” Mr Bannister said.
Five hundred and 20 students were awarded at least a grade C or above in mathematics, English and science compared to 476 in 2009, and 499 in 2008.
English language, biology and math continue to be the most popular subject choice for most students while Auto Mechanics, Clothing Construction and Electrical Installation continue to be the least. The majority of candidates who sit the heavily subscribed subjects usually only sit the core papers, said Mr Bannister, and none had a 100 per cent subscription rate.
The results were part of a report released by the Ministry of Education's Evaluation and Assessment Division yesterday on the BGCSE and the Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) exams for 2010. As promised earlier this year, Mr Bannister did not issue a national grade average for the junior and secondary certificate exams – an average he claims does not paint a clear picture of student performance.
The exams are graded on a seven point scale from A to G. There are 27 subjects offered and 14 of these subjects contain core and extended papers. The highest grade available on a core paper is a C while students sitting extended papers can score as high as an A letter grade.
While not "completely satisfied" with this year's results, Mr Bannister said with his ministry's targeted focus on numeracy and literacy skills he hoped to see a marked change in the test scores in the future.
August 06, 2010
tribune242
By TANEKA THOMPSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
tthompson@tribunemedia.net:
STUDENTS sitting mathematics and English courses in this year's Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education exams (BGCSE) received average grades of E- and D respectively.
Still, mathematics and English are part of 16 subjects that showed some improvement in grade point averages compared to last year, including art and design A, art and design B, art and design C, biology, bookkeeping and accounts, chemistry, economics, food and nutrition, French, graphical communication, literature, office procedures, physics and religious studies.
The mathematics and English test scores reflect an issue of "national concern" highlighting the need for continued emphasis on improving literacy and numeracy skills in students, said Education Minister Desmond Bannister yesterday.
The subjects with the best results this year are art and design A, art and design B, art and design C, and carpentry and joinery with average grades of C+. The average test result of students who sat the bookkeeping/accounting exams was an E-.
Only four subjects saw an improvement in letter grades over last year. Art and design A and art and design C saw an average grade of C+, an improvement over the average grade of C in both subjects last year. The average grade in economics and office procedures was a D+, an improvement from D and D- respectively .
Geography, which recorded average grades of C this year and in 2009, was the only subject which did not see an increase or decrease in GPA or letter grade comparisons to last year.
The biggest improvement "in the history of the examination" was shown in the number of students who received at least a C or above in five or more subjects.
"There's been a general trend of improvement this year and that is where we are looking to go in the Bahamas with respect to results.
"This year the increase in the number of candidates who were successful in obtaining five or more subjects at grade 'C' or higher shows possibly the biggest improvement in this statistics in the history of the examination, improving to 921 compared to 834 in 2008 and 788 in 2007,” Mr Bannister said.
Five hundred and 20 students were awarded at least a grade C or above in mathematics, English and science compared to 476 in 2009, and 499 in 2008.
English language, biology and math continue to be the most popular subject choice for most students while Auto Mechanics, Clothing Construction and Electrical Installation continue to be the least. The majority of candidates who sit the heavily subscribed subjects usually only sit the core papers, said Mr Bannister, and none had a 100 per cent subscription rate.
The results were part of a report released by the Ministry of Education's Evaluation and Assessment Division yesterday on the BGCSE and the Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) exams for 2010. As promised earlier this year, Mr Bannister did not issue a national grade average for the junior and secondary certificate exams – an average he claims does not paint a clear picture of student performance.
The exams are graded on a seven point scale from A to G. There are 27 subjects offered and 14 of these subjects contain core and extended papers. The highest grade available on a core paper is a C while students sitting extended papers can score as high as an A letter grade.
While not "completely satisfied" with this year's results, Mr Bannister said with his ministry's targeted focus on numeracy and literacy skills he hoped to see a marked change in the test scores in the future.
August 06, 2010
tribune242
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Those who achieve in The Bahamas cannot be held back for the non-achievers, regardless of nationality
Those who qualify can't be held back
tribune242 editorial:
THE public acknowledgment that Haitian students are outdistancing Bahamians is rather late. It is a reality that has been known by teachers for some time. We have often heard Bahamian parents grumble that their children were being pushed into second place by "them Haitians."
However, what is astonishing is the negative reaction of some Bahamian parents to this fact. Instead of encouraging their children, especially their boys to pull up their sagging pants - a sign of their shiftless indolence -- and study harder, they want Haitian children to be held back.
Samuel Johnson, a member of Centreville Primary school board, expressing his concern at a workshop for public school administrators and board members last week, spoke for many parents when he worried that all of the "benefits, awards, and certificates" go to Haitian children, while Bahamian children walk away empty-handed.
Instead of accepting this as a challenge to motivate young Bahamians to excel, he felt government should look at a system whereby "non-bona fide" Bahamians have to make a contribution to the cost of their education.
In dismissing such a suggestion Education Minister Desmond Bannister quite rightly pointed out that "any country that discriminates against children labels itself as a barbaric society." He pointed out that the Bahamas, as a signatory to the United Nations convention, had an obligation to ensure that all children were educated.
Instead of Mr Johnson recommending that Haitian children be made pay for their education, he should try to discover why they get all the awards, and Bahamians walk away empty handed. The truth would probably shame him as a Bahamian.
The American declaration of human rights holds that "all men are created equal", which does not mean identical but rather an acknowledgment that all have different strengths and weaknesses that can be developed in a society that offers them equal opportunities to achieve. In 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declared that "all human beings are born equal in dignity and rights."
In other words society has an obligation to provide an opportunity for them to embrace those rights, one of which is a good education. Those who seize the opportunity will move forward, and those who don't will remain static or fall back.
Those who achieve cannot be held back for the non-achievers, regardless of nationality. And if Haitians excel in the classroom, then it is obvious that they will be qualified for the top jobs. There is no point in Bahamians sitting under the dilly tree complaining that the Haitians are taking over the country.
Of course, they will take over the country if they are qualified and Bahamians are too indifferent to meet the challenge.
When an employer is looking for staff, he is not looking for nationality, all he wants is the best qualified person for the position he offers. And unless Bahamian parents get behind their children and encourage them to work harder at their studies, the best qualified persons in the next generation could well be Haitians.
We have told this story before, but it bears telling again. We know of a young Haitian girl, among the first graduates of Doris A Johnson school when it opened. She was among the top five in her class, and, yes, did walk away with most of the awards. Years later so did her younger sister.
Both of their parents are Haitian, the father on a work permit, the mother, a residence permit. Both children were brought here when they were very young and have no recollection of Haiti.
When the first girl graduated, her one ambition was to be a doctor, however, she had to find a job to raise the funds to follow her dreams. She got a job in a downtown business. No questions were asked about her nationality -- she spoke perfect English, and her written English was far superior to most Bahamians. But one day there was an Immigration sweep and she was taken in. She had no work permit. She was sent to the Detention Centre to be deported to Haiti -- a land she did not know and where she had neither relative nor friend. Some of her teachers and others heard of her plight, and petitioned for her release. She was released, returned to her parents where she remained with no work permit, and no opportunity to pursue her dream.
Next week she will marry a young Bahamian, who works in Miami. Maybe there -- in the land of the free and the home of the brave -- she can qualify as a doctor and return to Nassau with her Bahamian husband to minister to some of these complaining Bahamians who did not have the initiative -- or the urging of their parents -- to make the grade.
tribune242 editorial
tribune242 editorial:
THE public acknowledgment that Haitian students are outdistancing Bahamians is rather late. It is a reality that has been known by teachers for some time. We have often heard Bahamian parents grumble that their children were being pushed into second place by "them Haitians."
However, what is astonishing is the negative reaction of some Bahamian parents to this fact. Instead of encouraging their children, especially their boys to pull up their sagging pants - a sign of their shiftless indolence -- and study harder, they want Haitian children to be held back.
Samuel Johnson, a member of Centreville Primary school board, expressing his concern at a workshop for public school administrators and board members last week, spoke for many parents when he worried that all of the "benefits, awards, and certificates" go to Haitian children, while Bahamian children walk away empty-handed.
Instead of accepting this as a challenge to motivate young Bahamians to excel, he felt government should look at a system whereby "non-bona fide" Bahamians have to make a contribution to the cost of their education.
In dismissing such a suggestion Education Minister Desmond Bannister quite rightly pointed out that "any country that discriminates against children labels itself as a barbaric society." He pointed out that the Bahamas, as a signatory to the United Nations convention, had an obligation to ensure that all children were educated.
Instead of Mr Johnson recommending that Haitian children be made pay for their education, he should try to discover why they get all the awards, and Bahamians walk away empty handed. The truth would probably shame him as a Bahamian.
The American declaration of human rights holds that "all men are created equal", which does not mean identical but rather an acknowledgment that all have different strengths and weaknesses that can be developed in a society that offers them equal opportunities to achieve. In 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declared that "all human beings are born equal in dignity and rights."
In other words society has an obligation to provide an opportunity for them to embrace those rights, one of which is a good education. Those who seize the opportunity will move forward, and those who don't will remain static or fall back.
Those who achieve cannot be held back for the non-achievers, regardless of nationality. And if Haitians excel in the classroom, then it is obvious that they will be qualified for the top jobs. There is no point in Bahamians sitting under the dilly tree complaining that the Haitians are taking over the country.
Of course, they will take over the country if they are qualified and Bahamians are too indifferent to meet the challenge.
When an employer is looking for staff, he is not looking for nationality, all he wants is the best qualified person for the position he offers. And unless Bahamian parents get behind their children and encourage them to work harder at their studies, the best qualified persons in the next generation could well be Haitians.
We have told this story before, but it bears telling again. We know of a young Haitian girl, among the first graduates of Doris A Johnson school when it opened. She was among the top five in her class, and, yes, did walk away with most of the awards. Years later so did her younger sister.
Both of their parents are Haitian, the father on a work permit, the mother, a residence permit. Both children were brought here when they were very young and have no recollection of Haiti.
When the first girl graduated, her one ambition was to be a doctor, however, she had to find a job to raise the funds to follow her dreams. She got a job in a downtown business. No questions were asked about her nationality -- she spoke perfect English, and her written English was far superior to most Bahamians. But one day there was an Immigration sweep and she was taken in. She had no work permit. She was sent to the Detention Centre to be deported to Haiti -- a land she did not know and where she had neither relative nor friend. Some of her teachers and others heard of her plight, and petitioned for her release. She was released, returned to her parents where she remained with no work permit, and no opportunity to pursue her dream.
Next week she will marry a young Bahamian, who works in Miami. Maybe there -- in the land of the free and the home of the brave -- she can qualify as a doctor and return to Nassau with her Bahamian husband to minister to some of these complaining Bahamians who did not have the initiative -- or the urging of their parents -- to make the grade.
tribune242 editorial
Monday, July 19, 2010
Bahamian parents urged to play a more active role in their children's education
Minister makes plea to parents
By NOELLE NICOLLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
nnicolls@tribunemedia.net:
BAHAMIAN parents were yesterday urged to play a more active role in their children's education.
Desmond Bannister, Minister of Education, said the difference between students who excel in the public school system and students who under-perform is the support they receive from their families.
He said in his experience, children with Haitian parentage often excel because they are supported by their families, and the same was true for Bahamian children who excel.
"In our public schools we have many, many children who are doing well and excelling, and they are Bahamian children. A priest said this to me at a graduation ceremony, look at all the people who got awards, you can almost know, without seeing the family, the type of family they came from: a family with a commitment to education and a commitment to seeing their children do well. There is nothing I want more than to see my Bahamians excel in education. I have to send the message out there that we have to spend more time with our children," said Mr Bannister.
Education statistics show that less than 10 per cent of the total graduating cohort received a 'C' grade or above on their BGCSE examinations.
Mr Bannister said while he believes the level of commitment to education is displayed by some Bahamian children in the way they are allowed to walk to school with no books in their hands, their pants hanging down and their pants legs in their socks, that is not the majority of Bahamian children, and "only one of the realities we face in education."
"The real issue that all of us have to face is what is our commitment to the education of our children. How much time do we spend with them; how much interest do we display in what they are doing; how much time do we help them with school. These are the real issues," said Mr Bannister.
"My commitment is to try to get as many of my Bahamian brothers and sisters as possible to understand the commitment to excellence in their children's education. I want Bahamians to focus on excellence in their children's education. That is why we are having the parenting seminar in August. We want parents to be aware. When we find scapegoats, when we look for anyone else as scapegoats, we are not really addressing the problem," he said.
Samuel Johnson, a member of the Centreville Primary school board of directors, said he was concerned about Haitian children receiving all of the "benefits, awards and certificates" of the public school system at the expense of Bahamians.
His comments were applauded by some participants in a seminar of more than 100 public school principals and board members, Friday.
Mr Johnson expressed his personal sentiments during the question and answer section of the financial management seminar, where the Minister spoke. However, Ministry officials did not readily have statistics to support the view. A senior official could only confirm the number of children of Haitian parentage is "large" in some inner city schools, and many of them were "indeed excelling."
Bahamians had a lot to say on Tribune242.com about the opinion of Mr Johnson and the response from the Minister, who said there was to be no discrimination of any children in public schools.
"Again, blaming persons of other nationalities is not the problem to solving this crisis. We need more schools, more educational funding, better teaching conditions, more 'old-school' teachers of yester-years, and the list goes on and on. The greater debate here should be about how we, as Bahamians, can go about being more civilly, community-minded parents, teachers, students, neighbours, etceteras," stated a Tribune242.com commenter, under the title "Give me a break!"
"If all of the Haitian (or Jamaican or Guyanese) children were to pack up their 'georgie bundles' and leave the Bahamas, you can bet your last bottom dollar that there would be zero to no change in the overall attitudes toward education in this country! Stop fooling yourselves into thinking that the problem lies elsewhere when it really lies within. And this is coming from a thoroughbred Bahamian, flesh and bone!" stated "True True Bahamian", on the post.
Another Tribune242.com commenter, under the name "Confused", said the view that Haitians outperform Bahamians is of no surprise.
"What I don't understand is why so many Bahamians are up in arms about this, as if this is something new! You know doggone well ya children ain't been doin' what they supposed to do in school! If you do not attend PTA meetings, check over home-work, ensure your children read over their notes from the day's lessons, pick up report cards on time or make time to visit schools and meet teachers to discuss your child's performance in school (whether good or bad), please close your mouths. You are not eligible to partake in this discussion until you fulfil your role as a responsible parent!"
Schools do not collate statistical data on the immigration status of students, as it is not necessary to be a citizen of the Bahamas to attend a public school. All legal residents are entitled to attend a government school in the district they live.
Minister Bannister said, "We don't want schools to be doing that job of looking to see who is this and that, even though statistics may be gathered at some stage. We don't want to turn principles into immigration officers."
Minister Bannister said he was confident that any Haitian student receiving awards in a public school did so based on merit and not any preferential treatment on the part of schools.
"Every parent should look at how his child is doing in school. If his child is not doing well that parent should make a commitment to make sure that child is getting more from him or her. For too long we look at national results and blame a politician for what is happening. We need to stop that and look at the reality of what is happening in our family and determine if we are living up to our responsibilities," he said.
Bahamian parents were advised to take an interest in the education of their children, by a Tribune242.com commenter.
"As a teacher this is no surprise. Haitian students and their families show more interest and value free education. Not only Haitians, but Chinese, Guyanese and Jamaicans are also top competitors.
"Our students have become consumed with material things. The core values of hard work and dedication are slowly dying. Bahamian parents, please, show interest, challenge your children,"
Her advice was to: "Get rid of the PlayStation and Wii. Get your child a book or Leapfrog. Unsubscribe from BET and MTV. Turn on Discovery and PBS! Save the money for Clarke's shoes: No 3.00 (grade point average) no Clarke's! Block Facebook and Youtube. Bookmark Discovery Network, National Geographic and Bahamas.com!"
July 19, 2010
tribune242
By NOELLE NICOLLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
nnicolls@tribunemedia.net:
BAHAMIAN parents were yesterday urged to play a more active role in their children's education.
Desmond Bannister, Minister of Education, said the difference between students who excel in the public school system and students who under-perform is the support they receive from their families.
He said in his experience, children with Haitian parentage often excel because they are supported by their families, and the same was true for Bahamian children who excel.
"In our public schools we have many, many children who are doing well and excelling, and they are Bahamian children. A priest said this to me at a graduation ceremony, look at all the people who got awards, you can almost know, without seeing the family, the type of family they came from: a family with a commitment to education and a commitment to seeing their children do well. There is nothing I want more than to see my Bahamians excel in education. I have to send the message out there that we have to spend more time with our children," said Mr Bannister.
Education statistics show that less than 10 per cent of the total graduating cohort received a 'C' grade or above on their BGCSE examinations.
Mr Bannister said while he believes the level of commitment to education is displayed by some Bahamian children in the way they are allowed to walk to school with no books in their hands, their pants hanging down and their pants legs in their socks, that is not the majority of Bahamian children, and "only one of the realities we face in education."
"The real issue that all of us have to face is what is our commitment to the education of our children. How much time do we spend with them; how much interest do we display in what they are doing; how much time do we help them with school. These are the real issues," said Mr Bannister.
"My commitment is to try to get as many of my Bahamian brothers and sisters as possible to understand the commitment to excellence in their children's education. I want Bahamians to focus on excellence in their children's education. That is why we are having the parenting seminar in August. We want parents to be aware. When we find scapegoats, when we look for anyone else as scapegoats, we are not really addressing the problem," he said.
Samuel Johnson, a member of the Centreville Primary school board of directors, said he was concerned about Haitian children receiving all of the "benefits, awards and certificates" of the public school system at the expense of Bahamians.
His comments were applauded by some participants in a seminar of more than 100 public school principals and board members, Friday.
Mr Johnson expressed his personal sentiments during the question and answer section of the financial management seminar, where the Minister spoke. However, Ministry officials did not readily have statistics to support the view. A senior official could only confirm the number of children of Haitian parentage is "large" in some inner city schools, and many of them were "indeed excelling."
Bahamians had a lot to say on Tribune242.com about the opinion of Mr Johnson and the response from the Minister, who said there was to be no discrimination of any children in public schools.
"Again, blaming persons of other nationalities is not the problem to solving this crisis. We need more schools, more educational funding, better teaching conditions, more 'old-school' teachers of yester-years, and the list goes on and on. The greater debate here should be about how we, as Bahamians, can go about being more civilly, community-minded parents, teachers, students, neighbours, etceteras," stated a Tribune242.com commenter, under the title "Give me a break!"
"If all of the Haitian (or Jamaican or Guyanese) children were to pack up their 'georgie bundles' and leave the Bahamas, you can bet your last bottom dollar that there would be zero to no change in the overall attitudes toward education in this country! Stop fooling yourselves into thinking that the problem lies elsewhere when it really lies within. And this is coming from a thoroughbred Bahamian, flesh and bone!" stated "True True Bahamian", on the post.
Another Tribune242.com commenter, under the name "Confused", said the view that Haitians outperform Bahamians is of no surprise.
"What I don't understand is why so many Bahamians are up in arms about this, as if this is something new! You know doggone well ya children ain't been doin' what they supposed to do in school! If you do not attend PTA meetings, check over home-work, ensure your children read over their notes from the day's lessons, pick up report cards on time or make time to visit schools and meet teachers to discuss your child's performance in school (whether good or bad), please close your mouths. You are not eligible to partake in this discussion until you fulfil your role as a responsible parent!"
Schools do not collate statistical data on the immigration status of students, as it is not necessary to be a citizen of the Bahamas to attend a public school. All legal residents are entitled to attend a government school in the district they live.
Minister Bannister said, "We don't want schools to be doing that job of looking to see who is this and that, even though statistics may be gathered at some stage. We don't want to turn principles into immigration officers."
Minister Bannister said he was confident that any Haitian student receiving awards in a public school did so based on merit and not any preferential treatment on the part of schools.
"Every parent should look at how his child is doing in school. If his child is not doing well that parent should make a commitment to make sure that child is getting more from him or her. For too long we look at national results and blame a politician for what is happening. We need to stop that and look at the reality of what is happening in our family and determine if we are living up to our responsibilities," he said.
Bahamian parents were advised to take an interest in the education of their children, by a Tribune242.com commenter.
"As a teacher this is no surprise. Haitian students and their families show more interest and value free education. Not only Haitians, but Chinese, Guyanese and Jamaicans are also top competitors.
"Our students have become consumed with material things. The core values of hard work and dedication are slowly dying. Bahamian parents, please, show interest, challenge your children,"
Her advice was to: "Get rid of the PlayStation and Wii. Get your child a book or Leapfrog. Unsubscribe from BET and MTV. Turn on Discovery and PBS! Save the money for Clarke's shoes: No 3.00 (grade point average) no Clarke's! Block Facebook and Youtube. Bookmark Discovery Network, National Geographic and Bahamas.com!"
July 19, 2010
tribune242
Friday, April 2, 2010
Teachers in Bahamian Schools Were Warned by the Minister of Education - Desmond Bannister: Complaints of a Sexual Nature Will Not be Ignored
By MEGAN REYNOLDS
Tribune Staff Reporter
mreynolds@tribunemedia.net:
"DIRTY secrets" of sexual molestation will no longer be kept in government schools, as Minister of Education Desmond Bannister warned hundreds of teachers that complaints of a sexual nature will not be ignored.
In the first all-day seminar on sexual abuse in schools organised by the Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) for male staff yesterday, Mr Bannister informed them of the strict protocol by which all complaints are investigated.
All men who teach at New Providence government schools were invited to the seminar, said to be the first of its kind in Bahamian history, and those schools that did not comply with the invitation will not have the opportunity to do so again, Mr Bannister warned.
He called on hundreds of educators who filled the All Saints Anglican Church and Community Centre hall in Joan's Heights, off East Street South, to live up to their legal, moral and professional responsibility to protect school students by reporting all suspicions of abuse and never turning a blind eye.
"We know that these things are happening and we cannot as parents, as law-abiding citizens, or as teachers to allow it to continue," Mr Bannister said.
"You can expect, when a matter is reported, that it will be investigated thoroughly, and the necessary action will be taken.
"There is no sweeping the matter under the rug.
"For too long we have been keeping these little dirty secrets, far too many people have washed their hands of these matters.
"The important thing is to put a stop to it, address it and ensure our children are protected. They go to school to learn, not to be destroyed or victimised."
A Sexual Complaints Unit established at the Ministry of Education last year is mandated to investigate all allegations of sexual abuse across the islands and has already launched investigations to the alleged abuse of at least 18 schoolchildren in Andros and Eleuthera this year.
The Minister assured teachers that the team, including an investigator, attorney, and school psychologist will thoroughly examine all allegations to protect both students and teachers as he said he understands how they too can be vulnerable to allegations of abuse.
Leader of the Sexual Complaints Unit Sterling Gardiner informed the male teachers how the unit operates, while Attorney General's office lawyer Neil Braithwaite informed them of the legal implications and motivational speaker, family therapist Dr Wayne Thompson addressed the emotional issues attached to sexual abuse.
The first seminar of its kind invited men only as men are the perpetrators in the majority of sex abuse cases in Bahamian schools. However there is scope for building on the initial one day seminar which is the first to address the accountability of teachers in sexual abuse claims on such a scale.
Invitations were sent to schools across the island, which closed at midday yesterday, and Mr Bannister said those who did not accept the invitation will be required to attend next time.
The men attending the seminar objected to the presence of a woman reporter covering the event, and The Tribune's reporter was removed from the room by BUT president Belinda Wilson.
April 01, 2010
tribune242
Tribune Staff Reporter
mreynolds@tribunemedia.net:
"DIRTY secrets" of sexual molestation will no longer be kept in government schools, as Minister of Education Desmond Bannister warned hundreds of teachers that complaints of a sexual nature will not be ignored.
In the first all-day seminar on sexual abuse in schools organised by the Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) for male staff yesterday, Mr Bannister informed them of the strict protocol by which all complaints are investigated.
All men who teach at New Providence government schools were invited to the seminar, said to be the first of its kind in Bahamian history, and those schools that did not comply with the invitation will not have the opportunity to do so again, Mr Bannister warned.
He called on hundreds of educators who filled the All Saints Anglican Church and Community Centre hall in Joan's Heights, off East Street South, to live up to their legal, moral and professional responsibility to protect school students by reporting all suspicions of abuse and never turning a blind eye.
"We know that these things are happening and we cannot as parents, as law-abiding citizens, or as teachers to allow it to continue," Mr Bannister said.
"You can expect, when a matter is reported, that it will be investigated thoroughly, and the necessary action will be taken.
"There is no sweeping the matter under the rug.
"For too long we have been keeping these little dirty secrets, far too many people have washed their hands of these matters.
"The important thing is to put a stop to it, address it and ensure our children are protected. They go to school to learn, not to be destroyed or victimised."
A Sexual Complaints Unit established at the Ministry of Education last year is mandated to investigate all allegations of sexual abuse across the islands and has already launched investigations to the alleged abuse of at least 18 schoolchildren in Andros and Eleuthera this year.
The Minister assured teachers that the team, including an investigator, attorney, and school psychologist will thoroughly examine all allegations to protect both students and teachers as he said he understands how they too can be vulnerable to allegations of abuse.
Leader of the Sexual Complaints Unit Sterling Gardiner informed the male teachers how the unit operates, while Attorney General's office lawyer Neil Braithwaite informed them of the legal implications and motivational speaker, family therapist Dr Wayne Thompson addressed the emotional issues attached to sexual abuse.
The first seminar of its kind invited men only as men are the perpetrators in the majority of sex abuse cases in Bahamian schools. However there is scope for building on the initial one day seminar which is the first to address the accountability of teachers in sexual abuse claims on such a scale.
Invitations were sent to schools across the island, which closed at midday yesterday, and Mr Bannister said those who did not accept the invitation will be required to attend next time.
The men attending the seminar objected to the presence of a woman reporter covering the event, and The Tribune's reporter was removed from the room by BUT president Belinda Wilson.
April 01, 2010
tribune242
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman Carl Bethel accuses paper of 'character assassination'
tribune242:
FREE National Movement Chairman Carl Bethel has criticised a local tabloid newspaper for what he has described as a continued "campaign of character assassination".
Responding to an article which appeared in The Punch last Thursday, Mr Bethel claims The Punch has continued to misrepresent his achievements during his tenure as Minister of Education.
He also stated that despite reports, he at no time expressed any interest in rejoining the FNM Cabinet.
In a letter, Mr Bethel said: "The Punch, in an obvious and sustained campaign of character assassination, continues to propagate outright lies about me. In the Thursday, March 11, edition this pattern of attack has been repeated and expanded."
Mr Bethel further stated: "The Punch has continued to misrepresent the achievements of my tenure as Minister of Education. For the record, I was the Minister who conceived of, and set up, the Sexual Complaints Unit in the Ministry of Education, with the hardworking members of my staff, not Minister Desmond Bannister, as was untruthfully claimed in The Punch.
"The Sexual Complaints Unit was set up at my command when it became clear that the ministry had no institutional mechanism, or capacity, to appropriately and expeditiously investigate all complaints involving alleged sexual misconduct by teachers and support staff in our schools." Mr Bethel stated.
According to Mr Bethel, he was more concerned with ensuring a safe environment for students in every school in The Bahamas.
"That achievement is among other positive initiatives which I left for Minister Bannister and every succeeding Minister of Education, and for the benefit of generations of Bahamian students to come," Mr Bethel stated.
He added: "At no time did I ever ask to re-join, or even so much as hint to anyone, that I was interested in re-joining the Cabinet. In fact, had I been asked to re-join the Cabinet in any capacity, at this time, I would have refused for the same reasons that I decided to resign from it in November 2009 namely, that the Party needed a Chairman to help prepare it for the next general elections."
Mr Bethel noted that he had resigned from the FNM Cabinet so that he could do all in his power to help the party prepare for the next general elections.
"Those reasons have not changed, and I am not interested in returning to Cabinet until that job is done," he stated.
March 15, 2010
tribune242
FREE National Movement Chairman Carl Bethel has criticised a local tabloid newspaper for what he has described as a continued "campaign of character assassination".
Responding to an article which appeared in The Punch last Thursday, Mr Bethel claims The Punch has continued to misrepresent his achievements during his tenure as Minister of Education.
He also stated that despite reports, he at no time expressed any interest in rejoining the FNM Cabinet.
In a letter, Mr Bethel said: "The Punch, in an obvious and sustained campaign of character assassination, continues to propagate outright lies about me. In the Thursday, March 11, edition this pattern of attack has been repeated and expanded."
Mr Bethel further stated: "The Punch has continued to misrepresent the achievements of my tenure as Minister of Education. For the record, I was the Minister who conceived of, and set up, the Sexual Complaints Unit in the Ministry of Education, with the hardworking members of my staff, not Minister Desmond Bannister, as was untruthfully claimed in The Punch.
"The Sexual Complaints Unit was set up at my command when it became clear that the ministry had no institutional mechanism, or capacity, to appropriately and expeditiously investigate all complaints involving alleged sexual misconduct by teachers and support staff in our schools." Mr Bethel stated.
According to Mr Bethel, he was more concerned with ensuring a safe environment for students in every school in The Bahamas.
"That achievement is among other positive initiatives which I left for Minister Bannister and every succeeding Minister of Education, and for the benefit of generations of Bahamian students to come," Mr Bethel stated.
He added: "At no time did I ever ask to re-join, or even so much as hint to anyone, that I was interested in re-joining the Cabinet. In fact, had I been asked to re-join the Cabinet in any capacity, at this time, I would have refused for the same reasons that I decided to resign from it in November 2009 namely, that the Party needed a Chairman to help prepare it for the next general elections."
Mr Bethel noted that he had resigned from the FNM Cabinet so that he could do all in his power to help the party prepare for the next general elections.
"Those reasons have not changed, and I am not interested in returning to Cabinet until that job is done," he stated.
March 15, 2010
tribune242
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Bahamas: Only 16 of 40 Members of Parliament (MPs) respond to request for $200,000 spending record
By ALISON LOWE
Tribune Staff Reporter
alowe@tribunemedia.net:
FEWER than half of all 40 MPs contacted for an accounting of how they had spent or not spent the $200,000 made available to them between 2007 and 2009 to enhance their constituencies have provided that accounting. Only one of those 16 was PLP.
To be clear, the $200,000 in question -- made up of two allocations of $100,000 in consecutive budget cycles since 2007 until the most recent one -- was not given to MPs outright but made available to them from the public treasury once projects that they decided were needed in their areas were approved by the Ministry of Works and the Public Treasury.
After detailing last year in an INSIGHT article the tribulations of this reporter's attempts to secure a documentary accounting from the Public Treasury on how each MP had spent the money potentially available to him, some readers wanted to know why I had not asked the MPs what they had spent the money on.
In the November 30th article I said that I thought this would have been a cop-out and would not have been sufficient to provide as full a picture as Treasury records would have.
Unfortunately, seven months on from my initial request in July 2009, and despite several follow ups with the Minister of State for Finance and Minister of Finance, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, this documentary information is still beyond the reach of this journalist.
However, over the last month and a half I have engaged in this exercise in what I hope will be an interim step towards an accounting of the expenditures before I have the opportunity to provide the full details as outlined in records held by the Treasury.
In doing so, an email request with a deadline for a reply was sent out before Christmas through each party's leader asking each MP if he or she could provide a breakdown of how they had spent the twice allocated $100,000 that was made available to them in the budget for discretionary constituency enhancement projects. As a result, I did receive several prompt responses that shed some light on the matter.
They were so few, however --no more than four initially-- that I decided to send out another reminder email after Christmas to each of the party's MPs, again with a deadline of several days later, I received a few more replies.
For fairness, I tried to ensure both sets of MPs received the same request at the same time in the same form and were given the same amount of time to respond.
I emailed FNM MPs directly as I was provided with their personal email addresses by leader of government business in the House of Assembly, Tommy Turnquest, MP for Mount Moriah. I relied on the cooperation of PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts and PLP Party Whip Melanie Griffin, MP for Yamacraw to contact Opposition MPs with my request, as I was not provided with their addresses to do so myself.
To date, fewer than half of all MPs have responded -- a total of 16 out of 40. Some MPs provided more detail than others -- indicating exactly what amount was spent on which project and who did the work, for example, while others simply listed work that was done.
Of those, 15 were FNM MPs and one was PLP. This leaves eight FNM MPs and 15 PLPs who did not respond.
Several PLP MPs acknowledged receipt of my request. These included party leader Perry Christie, MP for Farm Road and Centreville, to whom my initial inquiry about the possibility of contacting Opposition MPs for this purpose was forwarded; Deputy Leader Philip Davis, MP for Rum Cay, Cat Island and San Salvador and former Chairman and MP Glenys Hanna Martin. But, despite a reminder, none found time to follow through on it.
It should be noted that these constituency funds are separate from the $18,000 annually disbursed directly to individual MPs for the maintenance of their constituency offices. The Government recently undertook to have an audit conducted of these expenditures, whereby any records of what the money was or was not spent on were collected and scrutinised by the Auditor General's Office.
Yesterday Auditor General Terrance Bastian stated that all "fieldwork" towards the completion of this audit has now been done, and it only remains for his office to complete the report on the funds, which he projected could occur by mid-February.
Below is part one of a breakdown of how all of the MPs who responded said they used the $200,000 in their constituencies. Due to space limitations, expect details on the following MPs' expenditures in tomorrow's Tribune: Earl Deveaux (Marathon), Fred Mitchell (Fox Hill), Hubert Ingraham (North Abaco), Zhivargo Laing (Marco City), Charles Maynard (Golden Isles), Branville McCartney (Bamboo Town), Phenton Neymour (South Beach), Brensil Rolle (Garden Hills), Tommy Turnquest (Mount Moriah), Alvin Smith (North Eleuthera) and Brent Symonette (St Anne's).
How did the following spend the $200,000?
Desmond Bannister - FNM - CARMICHAEL:
2007/2008: Mr Bannister, also Minister of Education, followed the theme "Improving sporting infrastructure and development in the community". He had numerous basketball courts resurfaced (Carmichael Police Station, Mermaid Park West, Mermaid Park East, Carmichael Road next to Golden Gates Assembly) and built two new basketball courts (Belaire Park and Sir Gerald Cash Primary School) and resurfaced the tennis court at Flamingo Gardens Park.
2008/2009: Mr Bannister aimed to "provide for community and family leisure relaxation and enjoyment while enhancing community."
This involved: Having 80 benches designed and placed throughout the constituency -- along Carmichael Road, Flamingo Gardens Park, Belaire Park, Mermaid Park East, Mermaid Park West; and on the campuses of the Sir Gerald Cash Primary School, the Carmichael Primary School, and the Anatol Rodgers High School.
Mr Bannister did not say whether this had exhausted the funds.
Carl Bethel - FNM - SEABREEZE:
2007/08: Installation of cement kerbing along the central median of Golf Course Boulevard; cleaning, levelling and landscaping the central median of Golf Course Drive and purchasing and planting grass and trees; clearing of deserted or vacant and overgrown lots of land in Sea Breeze Subdivision, and Gleniston Gardens, as directed and at the request of the Sea Breeze Crime Watch Association; and the installation of a children's playground and swings, etc, on the western end of the newly developed Park at the intersection of Charles Saunders Highway and Golf Course Boulevard.
2008/09: Purchase of two Eno Interactive "White Boards" with built-in projectors for the Sadie Curtis Primary School; the purchase and installation of a children's playground, swings and other equipment in Hope Gardens Subdivision; the partial landscaping and planting of trees at the new Sea Breeze Public Park, at the intersection of Golf Course Boulevard and Charles Saunders Highway.
Loretta Butler Turner - FNM - MONTAGU:
Mrs Butler Turner, also Minister of State for Social Development said: "After consultation and review it was collectively decided that the constituents of Montagu would be best served by these funds from a general clean-up and sustained maintenance of the constituency. Particularly targeted were the areas of main thoroughfares, street verges, side streets, derelict vehicles and indiscriminate dumping."
In this regard, the services of JimCo Construction and Maintenance Services, whose principal owner is Jim Curry, was selected to provide the services. His company was encouraged to engage the services of unemployed residents of the area to carry out the clean-up and maintenance exercises. This included removing derelict vehicles, clearing overgrown properties and mowing and weeding verges.
The contract was scoped by the Ministry of Works and Ministry of Environment and subsequently agreed by Ministry of Finance. The contract was given for the agreed amount of $11,000 per month.
Since the project did not start until late 2007 there was a credit balance of just under $10,000, which was rolled over to 2008/09. All funds were fully utilised by the end of 2008/09.
In December 2008 a financial donation of $2,500 was made to L.W. Young School -- the nearest Public School to Montagu constituency -- for the school's Junkanoo Group. Also a financial donation of $5,000 was made to Colours Junkanoo Group. The majority of group members and youth are residents of Montagu.
Larry Cartwright - FNM - LONG ISLAND:
2007/2008: Long Island - $85,000 was allocated to the Long Island District Council for projects to be done at the MP's discretion. These included: A bathroom block at Glinton's Park, constructed by Pinder's Construction at a cost of $35,625; the Construction of six concrete settlement sign boards by SJC Construction at a cost of $15,850; the Construction of a Bridge-top culvert for drainage near Hamilton's by Laurin Knowles Construction at a cost of $8,000 and the construction of a new Basketball court in Millerton's School yard by G & E Construction at a cost of $29,304.
The overall total cost was $88,779, $3,779 over the allocated amount, Mr Carwright stated.
All contracts were offered through public tender process.
Ragged Island - $15,000 was transferred to the Local Government Office, Exuma for constituency projects at Duncan Town, Ragged Island. These included: the Construction of wooden shed with wooden floor near Wall of Fame for community functions by Myron Lockhart-Bain, the sole bidder, at a cost of $15,000.
2008/2009: Long Island - $9,984.50 paid to The Amoury Company for computers and additional paraphernalia for schools in Long Island and Ragged Island -- five personal computers, five laptops, surge protectors, flash drives, carrying bags, etc.
Balance of $3,779 to G & E Construction for Millerton's Basketball court; Settlement signs for major settlements on Long Island by Island Signs $9,664.50; Construction of a gazebo at Mangrove Bush Beach (ocean side) $5,200 by Cartwright's Construction; Construction of gazebo at Buckley's Beach (ocean side) $5,400 by Neil Cartwright Construction; Construction of gazebo at Gray's Beach $5,450 by Neil Cartwright construction; Construction of gazebo at Gordon's Beach by Cartwright's Construction $5,800; Road repairs to roads leading to beaches at Mangrove Bush and Buckleys by Cartwright's Construction $5,300; repairs to roof of fishermen's shed at Buckley Point by Don Knowles $2,200 and materials for repairs to widow's home by Henry Cartwright $1,500.
All construction jobs, except the last listed, were offered at the end of competitive bidding among contractors on the island.
$30,722 remains unspent to date but is committed to be spent on the completion of the settlement sign project and building three more gazebos at popular picnic spots.
Sidney Collie - FNM - BLUE HILLS:
$100,000 was spent clearing a five acre parcel of land in the Sunset Park Subdivision to commence the development of a "state of the art" community park, to be administrated by a park committee elected from amongst residents of Sunset Park and members of the executive board of the Blue Hills Constituency Association.
A plan was prepared by an urban planner and submitted for registration to the Ministry of Works. Development of the first and second phase of the park were put out through a public tender process and involved the preparation and installation of the perimeter track and the filling of the park.
A male and female bathroom were constructed and are completed except for water and electricity. Two gazebos are under construction, along with a children's play area, a family picnic area, a tennis court, a mini golf court, perimeter fence, a barbecue pit and a parking area are all awaiting completion.
The contractor is Alexander Hanna. The project is inspected and certified for payment by the assistant director of the MInistry of Public Works, Bradley King.
"All disbursements are handled by the individual contractors with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Works," Mr Collie noted. He added that the project is currently "at a standstill" awaiting payment of funds.
A "portion" of the funds were disbursed for the set-up of a community computer lab, including desks, chairs and 15 computers. This project is a joint venture between the MP and the Christ Community Church on Bellot Road, which provided the space and staff that enabled the lab to open six days a week and conduct computer literacy courses.
No money was allocated in the 2009/2010 budget period for discretionary constituency projects due to the economic downturn.
January 19, 2010
How Bahamian Members of Parliament (MPs) spent their $200,000 allocation - Part II
How Bahamian Members of Parliament (MPs) spent their $200,000 allocation - Part III
How Bahamian Members of Parliament (MPs) spent their $200,000 allocation - Part IV
tribune242
Tribune Staff Reporter
alowe@tribunemedia.net:
FEWER than half of all 40 MPs contacted for an accounting of how they had spent or not spent the $200,000 made available to them between 2007 and 2009 to enhance their constituencies have provided that accounting. Only one of those 16 was PLP.
To be clear, the $200,000 in question -- made up of two allocations of $100,000 in consecutive budget cycles since 2007 until the most recent one -- was not given to MPs outright but made available to them from the public treasury once projects that they decided were needed in their areas were approved by the Ministry of Works and the Public Treasury.
After detailing last year in an INSIGHT article the tribulations of this reporter's attempts to secure a documentary accounting from the Public Treasury on how each MP had spent the money potentially available to him, some readers wanted to know why I had not asked the MPs what they had spent the money on.
In the November 30th article I said that I thought this would have been a cop-out and would not have been sufficient to provide as full a picture as Treasury records would have.
Unfortunately, seven months on from my initial request in July 2009, and despite several follow ups with the Minister of State for Finance and Minister of Finance, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, this documentary information is still beyond the reach of this journalist.
However, over the last month and a half I have engaged in this exercise in what I hope will be an interim step towards an accounting of the expenditures before I have the opportunity to provide the full details as outlined in records held by the Treasury.
In doing so, an email request with a deadline for a reply was sent out before Christmas through each party's leader asking each MP if he or she could provide a breakdown of how they had spent the twice allocated $100,000 that was made available to them in the budget for discretionary constituency enhancement projects. As a result, I did receive several prompt responses that shed some light on the matter.
They were so few, however --no more than four initially-- that I decided to send out another reminder email after Christmas to each of the party's MPs, again with a deadline of several days later, I received a few more replies.
For fairness, I tried to ensure both sets of MPs received the same request at the same time in the same form and were given the same amount of time to respond.
I emailed FNM MPs directly as I was provided with their personal email addresses by leader of government business in the House of Assembly, Tommy Turnquest, MP for Mount Moriah. I relied on the cooperation of PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts and PLP Party Whip Melanie Griffin, MP for Yamacraw to contact Opposition MPs with my request, as I was not provided with their addresses to do so myself.
To date, fewer than half of all MPs have responded -- a total of 16 out of 40. Some MPs provided more detail than others -- indicating exactly what amount was spent on which project and who did the work, for example, while others simply listed work that was done.
Of those, 15 were FNM MPs and one was PLP. This leaves eight FNM MPs and 15 PLPs who did not respond.
Several PLP MPs acknowledged receipt of my request. These included party leader Perry Christie, MP for Farm Road and Centreville, to whom my initial inquiry about the possibility of contacting Opposition MPs for this purpose was forwarded; Deputy Leader Philip Davis, MP for Rum Cay, Cat Island and San Salvador and former Chairman and MP Glenys Hanna Martin. But, despite a reminder, none found time to follow through on it.
It should be noted that these constituency funds are separate from the $18,000 annually disbursed directly to individual MPs for the maintenance of their constituency offices. The Government recently undertook to have an audit conducted of these expenditures, whereby any records of what the money was or was not spent on were collected and scrutinised by the Auditor General's Office.
Yesterday Auditor General Terrance Bastian stated that all "fieldwork" towards the completion of this audit has now been done, and it only remains for his office to complete the report on the funds, which he projected could occur by mid-February.
Below is part one of a breakdown of how all of the MPs who responded said they used the $200,000 in their constituencies. Due to space limitations, expect details on the following MPs' expenditures in tomorrow's Tribune: Earl Deveaux (Marathon), Fred Mitchell (Fox Hill), Hubert Ingraham (North Abaco), Zhivargo Laing (Marco City), Charles Maynard (Golden Isles), Branville McCartney (Bamboo Town), Phenton Neymour (South Beach), Brensil Rolle (Garden Hills), Tommy Turnquest (Mount Moriah), Alvin Smith (North Eleuthera) and Brent Symonette (St Anne's).
How did the following spend the $200,000?
Desmond Bannister - FNM - CARMICHAEL:
2007/2008: Mr Bannister, also Minister of Education, followed the theme "Improving sporting infrastructure and development in the community". He had numerous basketball courts resurfaced (Carmichael Police Station, Mermaid Park West, Mermaid Park East, Carmichael Road next to Golden Gates Assembly) and built two new basketball courts (Belaire Park and Sir Gerald Cash Primary School) and resurfaced the tennis court at Flamingo Gardens Park.
2008/2009: Mr Bannister aimed to "provide for community and family leisure relaxation and enjoyment while enhancing community."
This involved: Having 80 benches designed and placed throughout the constituency -- along Carmichael Road, Flamingo Gardens Park, Belaire Park, Mermaid Park East, Mermaid Park West; and on the campuses of the Sir Gerald Cash Primary School, the Carmichael Primary School, and the Anatol Rodgers High School.
Mr Bannister did not say whether this had exhausted the funds.
Carl Bethel - FNM - SEABREEZE:
2007/08: Installation of cement kerbing along the central median of Golf Course Boulevard; cleaning, levelling and landscaping the central median of Golf Course Drive and purchasing and planting grass and trees; clearing of deserted or vacant and overgrown lots of land in Sea Breeze Subdivision, and Gleniston Gardens, as directed and at the request of the Sea Breeze Crime Watch Association; and the installation of a children's playground and swings, etc, on the western end of the newly developed Park at the intersection of Charles Saunders Highway and Golf Course Boulevard.
2008/09: Purchase of two Eno Interactive "White Boards" with built-in projectors for the Sadie Curtis Primary School; the purchase and installation of a children's playground, swings and other equipment in Hope Gardens Subdivision; the partial landscaping and planting of trees at the new Sea Breeze Public Park, at the intersection of Golf Course Boulevard and Charles Saunders Highway.
Loretta Butler Turner - FNM - MONTAGU:
Mrs Butler Turner, also Minister of State for Social Development said: "After consultation and review it was collectively decided that the constituents of Montagu would be best served by these funds from a general clean-up and sustained maintenance of the constituency. Particularly targeted were the areas of main thoroughfares, street verges, side streets, derelict vehicles and indiscriminate dumping."
In this regard, the services of JimCo Construction and Maintenance Services, whose principal owner is Jim Curry, was selected to provide the services. His company was encouraged to engage the services of unemployed residents of the area to carry out the clean-up and maintenance exercises. This included removing derelict vehicles, clearing overgrown properties and mowing and weeding verges.
The contract was scoped by the Ministry of Works and Ministry of Environment and subsequently agreed by Ministry of Finance. The contract was given for the agreed amount of $11,000 per month.
Since the project did not start until late 2007 there was a credit balance of just under $10,000, which was rolled over to 2008/09. All funds were fully utilised by the end of 2008/09.
In December 2008 a financial donation of $2,500 was made to L.W. Young School -- the nearest Public School to Montagu constituency -- for the school's Junkanoo Group. Also a financial donation of $5,000 was made to Colours Junkanoo Group. The majority of group members and youth are residents of Montagu.
Larry Cartwright - FNM - LONG ISLAND:
2007/2008: Long Island - $85,000 was allocated to the Long Island District Council for projects to be done at the MP's discretion. These included: A bathroom block at Glinton's Park, constructed by Pinder's Construction at a cost of $35,625; the Construction of six concrete settlement sign boards by SJC Construction at a cost of $15,850; the Construction of a Bridge-top culvert for drainage near Hamilton's by Laurin Knowles Construction at a cost of $8,000 and the construction of a new Basketball court in Millerton's School yard by G & E Construction at a cost of $29,304.
The overall total cost was $88,779, $3,779 over the allocated amount, Mr Carwright stated.
All contracts were offered through public tender process.
Ragged Island - $15,000 was transferred to the Local Government Office, Exuma for constituency projects at Duncan Town, Ragged Island. These included: the Construction of wooden shed with wooden floor near Wall of Fame for community functions by Myron Lockhart-Bain, the sole bidder, at a cost of $15,000.
2008/2009: Long Island - $9,984.50 paid to The Amoury Company for computers and additional paraphernalia for schools in Long Island and Ragged Island -- five personal computers, five laptops, surge protectors, flash drives, carrying bags, etc.
Balance of $3,779 to G & E Construction for Millerton's Basketball court; Settlement signs for major settlements on Long Island by Island Signs $9,664.50; Construction of a gazebo at Mangrove Bush Beach (ocean side) $5,200 by Cartwright's Construction; Construction of gazebo at Buckley's Beach (ocean side) $5,400 by Neil Cartwright Construction; Construction of gazebo at Gray's Beach $5,450 by Neil Cartwright construction; Construction of gazebo at Gordon's Beach by Cartwright's Construction $5,800; Road repairs to roads leading to beaches at Mangrove Bush and Buckleys by Cartwright's Construction $5,300; repairs to roof of fishermen's shed at Buckley Point by Don Knowles $2,200 and materials for repairs to widow's home by Henry Cartwright $1,500.
All construction jobs, except the last listed, were offered at the end of competitive bidding among contractors on the island.
$30,722 remains unspent to date but is committed to be spent on the completion of the settlement sign project and building three more gazebos at popular picnic spots.
Sidney Collie - FNM - BLUE HILLS:
$100,000 was spent clearing a five acre parcel of land in the Sunset Park Subdivision to commence the development of a "state of the art" community park, to be administrated by a park committee elected from amongst residents of Sunset Park and members of the executive board of the Blue Hills Constituency Association.
A plan was prepared by an urban planner and submitted for registration to the Ministry of Works. Development of the first and second phase of the park were put out through a public tender process and involved the preparation and installation of the perimeter track and the filling of the park.
A male and female bathroom were constructed and are completed except for water and electricity. Two gazebos are under construction, along with a children's play area, a family picnic area, a tennis court, a mini golf court, perimeter fence, a barbecue pit and a parking area are all awaiting completion.
The contractor is Alexander Hanna. The project is inspected and certified for payment by the assistant director of the MInistry of Public Works, Bradley King.
"All disbursements are handled by the individual contractors with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Works," Mr Collie noted. He added that the project is currently "at a standstill" awaiting payment of funds.
A "portion" of the funds were disbursed for the set-up of a community computer lab, including desks, chairs and 15 computers. This project is a joint venture between the MP and the Christ Community Church on Bellot Road, which provided the space and staff that enabled the lab to open six days a week and conduct computer literacy courses.
No money was allocated in the 2009/2010 budget period for discretionary constituency projects due to the economic downturn.
January 19, 2010
How Bahamian Members of Parliament (MPs) spent their $200,000 allocation - Part II
How Bahamian Members of Parliament (MPs) spent their $200,000 allocation - Part III
How Bahamian Members of Parliament (MPs) spent their $200,000 allocation - Part IV
tribune242
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