Education
TCI Resignations Impact
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
Students in the Turks and Caicos Islands will be short of 15 teachers this year as 13 have already indicated they will leave before September’s opening date, and two more are set to leave during the school year, increasing the number from the initial ten that resigned in late August.
Director of Education, Mr. Edgar Howell explained, “As a result of what is going on in the world, the Turks and Caicos Islands has been impacted by resignations. To date, there are 15. The opening of school will be impacted directly by 13, the other two will leave during the school year, which will give us the opportunity to have those positions filled or to have temporary appointments in them.”
Deputy Director of Education Mark Garland hinted that the resignations had come suddenly, describing them as “unforeseen”. As a result of those unforeseen resignations, the education ministry won’t be able to start school with a complete complement of staff. 
“In situations such as these, efforts would have been made to employ teachers on a temporary basis until we are able to fill those vacancies via the recruitment process.” he said.
The unfortunate aspect of the recruitment process however is that it can be lengthy, because of the significant number of steps involved. In addition to that, Garland said even after a suitable candidate has been identified, individuals may reject the offer, forcing the ministry to restart the process.
The TCI is not the only country suffering from resignations; Jamaica and the United States have reported hundreds and thousands of gaps respectively.
In a previous press conference, Minister of Education Rachel Taylor had indicated that the gaps were specialized teachers, including home economics, science, and mathematics. All three representatives assured that the Ministry is working as quickly as they can to fill the gaps
Permanent secretary in the Ministry, Wesley Clerveaux, told residents not to be alarmed at the vacancies, stressing that they had substitute teachers in place that they could call on to provide support in the meantime.
Bahamas Information Services
GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — On Saturday, August 23, 2025, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry for Grand Bahama and Member of Parliament for West Grand Bahama and Bimini, Kingsley Smith along with Deputy Director of Education for the Grand Bahama, Bimini, and The Cays District, Michelle Bowleg toured Holmes Rock Junior High School to assess ongoing progress and ensure the project remains on track to welcome students for the new academic term in September.
Following the tour, Smith expressed optimism regarding the ongoing progress, stating, “Having toured the site and seeing the work that is
being done on the weekend, shows the commitment and dedication to getting it completed.”
He also noted that after discussions with the contractors, he was assured that with sufficient manpower and around-the-clock work, the project remains on track for completion by September 1, 2025.
“One of our underlying goals is really access, so we are happy that the school will be up and ready for our students,” said Bowleg.
She highlighted that several zoom meetings were held with parents to keep them informed about key updates including booklists, uniforms, and staffing. According to Bowleg, feedback from parents has been overwhelmingly positive.
“It is a beautiful facility, one that parents will be very proud of, and the entire West Grand Bahama community,” she added.
(BIS Photos/Danielle Rollon)
