November 27th, 2018
By Llonella Gilbert
NASSAU, Bahamas – Minister of Health Dr. the Hon. Duane Sands said there has been tremendous discussion about the government’s decision to raise questions of the 65 first-year medical students presenting themselves for matriculation on the University of the West Indies (UWI) Campuses earlier this year.
He said the Bahamas Government sat by passively with a position that if persons showed up at UWI and were able to be accepted that the government would pay 80 per cent of the fees.
“That translates into an annual subvention in 2018 of roughly $22,000 per person. There was no such consideration if you went to dental school; there was no such consideration if you wanted to be an optometrist or a podiatrist or a physical therapist or an occupational therapist. Only if you went to medical school could you assume that there would be a scholarship.”
The Health Minister explained that with the development of UWI, the campuses in Barbados and Trinidad found themselves in a cash crunch and they looked to The Bahamas to make up that cash crunch.
“They have an open door policy for Bahamian students. Why? Because they knew the Government of The Bahamas, unlike any other government, was going to pay.
“So Bahamian students became the cash flow that they required for fiscal survival.”
He said in the lead up to National Health Insurance, wonderful clinics have been created in Exuma and Abaco with incredible operative facilities and emergency rooms.
However, Dr. Sands noted that most of the equipment cannot be used because there is no auxiliary healthcare staff to take x-rays, do ultrasounds and in many cases there is a single pharmacist, and a number of deficiencies with laboratory technicians and so forth.
“So in 2018 what we have to do is to rethink the paradigm. Let us plan that The Commonwealth of The Bahamas needs more than medical doctors.
“Let us plan that we are going to meet the manpower needs of the country as it relates to oral health specialists, doctors, eye care, physical therapists, pharmacists, and so forth so that we approach this thing holistically.”
He said the government has no interest in reducing the investment made by the people of The Bahamas.
“When we look at total scholarships provided by the Government of The Bahamas annually of $17 million, half of that goes to the University of the West Indies and the bulk of that goes to medical education. That cannot be right.”
He added that the Government would also like to partner with the Bahamas Dental Association and get ideas as to how it can provide expertise in to all the islands of the nation. He said, “I believe we need to go back to the system whereby if you benefit from a $20,000 a year scholarship from the people of The Bahamas, then you should be prepared to provide service to the people of The Bahamas where they need and when they need.”
November 9th, 2018
THE Bahamas government has signed a memorandum of coöperation with Georgia State University that will facilitate expanded collaboration between the institution and the Bahamas.
As a part of the agreement, Georgia State University (GSU) is also expected to introduce a tuition waiver policy that would match local scholarships granted to Bahamian students.
The memorandum, which was arranged through the Ministry of Education’s Scholarship and Educational Loans Division over the past year, was signed during a brief ceremony at the Office of the Prime Minister by Education Minister Jeffrey Lloyd and senior representatives of GSU.
According to Mr Lloyd, the general purpose of the memorandum is to formalise various levels of coöperation between the Bahamas government and GSU which will allow both parties to explore and encourage mutually beneficial scientific, technological and educational relations.
“Discussion developed into collaboration and exchange between our two entities, and now we are there to commemorate the birth of an exciting partnership,” Mr Lloyd said Friday.
“As all of us know, the relationship between the Bahamas and the United States is a strong one, vibrant and solid one that dates back hundreds of years.
“There are tens of thousands of Bahamians who live and work and visit and study in the United States, and so our economies are deeply integrated. The ties that bind our two nations extend naturally to our people and our families,” he added.
The memorandum calls for GSU to host the Organisation of American States (OAS) scholarship recipients from the Bahamas at two of its campuses in Atlanta, Georgia.
Additionally, the agreements call for GSU to, with its relationships in sports, research and the field of education, expand its relationship with the Ministry of Education to include human resource courses and capacity development.
Mr Lloyd said human resource and capacity development has been one of the ministry’s priority focus areas over the next four years.
Thirdly, the memorandum will see GSU and the Ministry of Education explore recruitment, retention and graduation co-curriculum and articulation programmes, inclusive of dual degree and graduate programmes.
Moreover, the agreement will allow Bahamian students to take part in Georgia State’s international flagship programmes for global engagement.
Lastly, the agreement articulates GSU’s willingness to offer matching scholarships in the form of out-of-state tuition waivers to Bahamian students, in particular, high achieving, first-generation Bahamian students supported by our own scholarship programmes.
Mr Lloyd also revealed that GSU is particularly keen on providing family island students with opportunities to access tertiary level education, a focus, he said, the Minnis administration views as of the utmost importance, as it “undergirds” the government’s commitment to providing “inclusive and equitable education across the archipelago of our islands.”
#Mr Lloyd said the agreement aligns with areas of the government’s mission to ensure that qualified Bahamian students are connected with transformative scholarship opportunities and resources that will enable the pursuit of tertiary level education, resulting in globally competitive citizens who are nation builders.
GSU associate provost for International initiatives, Dr Wolfgang Schlor, who spearheaded the institution’s efforts Friday, said the memorandum marks a new chapter in the relationship between GSU and the Bahamas.
“I believe we have a lot to offer to your students,” he said.
“This memorandum of cooperation builds on a strong legacy of previous partnerships and collaboration between Georgia State University and the Bahamas. We have, for a long-time, received students from the Bahamas at Georgia State University,” he added.
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