By Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

NASSAU, Bahamas (July 14, 2026) — The Bahamas Government says it needs the 300 teachers being sourced from Ghana to help close a critical staffing gap, even as criticism mounts over unresolved employment matters reportedly affecting approximately 2,000 Bahamas Union of Teachers members and as Ghana itself struggles with a massive shortage in the profession.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Science and Technology Chester Cooper said the shortage has been worsened by retirements, expiring contracts and the expansion of specialized subjects, including special education, technology, financial literacy, digital literacy and entrepreneurship.

Cooper said the Government has established a multi-agency task force and is attempting to attract recently retired teachers, new graduates and educators who previously left the profession.

“In keeping with government policy, Bahamians will be given first priority to fill all vacancies,” Cooper said.

However, the optics surrounding the decision are sketchy at best, with the BUT pressing the Government to settle long-standing matters affecting its members while Ghana grapples with a teacher shortage estimated at no fewer than 50,000 educators.

Ghana’s Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, recently disclosed that the country needs between 50,000 and 90,000 additional teachers to adequately staff its schools.

UNICEF’s 2026 Teachers for All: Ghana report confirms that Ghana is not only experiencing an overall teacher shortage but also serious inequalities in how available teachers are distributed. It found that rural and underserved schools are particularly affected, while Ghana’s primary teacher workforce fell by more than 25 percent—from 131,094 in 2019–2020 to 93,818 in 2022–2023—as student enrolment increased.

The report stated:

“Not only is there a teacher shortage in Ghana, but inefficiencies also exist in the current distribution of available teachers.”

That finding raises questions about why a country with such a significant domestic deficit is prepared to facilitate the overseas recruitment of hundreds of educators.

Meanwhile, BUT President Belinda Wilson has argued that the Bahamian Government has substantial unfinished business with the teachers already serving in the public system.

According to Wilson, approximately 2,000 educators are awaiting the conclusion of salary negotiations, while hundreds reportedly have unresolved matters involving confirmations, salary reassessments, promotions, rental allowances, examination marking fees, disturbance allowances, hardship payments and coaching allowances.

The union has also complained that it was not properly consulted before the proposed recruitment became public and has demanded details about the qualifications, subjects, deployment locations and employment conditions being considered for the Ghanaian teachers.

The debate is also unfolding as the University of The Bahamas has produced approximately 219 education graduates over the past three years—76 in 2024, more than 60 in 2025 and 73 in 2026.

Cooper maintains that overseas recruitment is intended only to fill positions that cannot immediately be occupied by qualified Bahamians.

“For decades, we have benefitted from strategic international recruitment of educators from partner nations,” he said. “We emphasize that such recruitment is intended only to address vacancies that cannot be immediately filled by qualified Bahamians.”

Still, the questions remain: why are outstanding matters affecting thousands of Bahamian teachers unresolved, and why is The Bahamas sourcing educators from a country that acknowledges it is tens of thousands of teachers short itself?

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands — People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) Leader Douglas Parnell is urging the United Kingdom not to extend Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam’s tenure, alleging that a pattern of decisions and omissions has demonstrated “bias” in the exercise of her constitutional responsibilities.

Speaking during a nationally streamed address from PDM Headquarters on Friday evening, Parnell said his party’s National Executive Committee had carefully reviewed the Governor’s performance and concluded that she should leave office when her current term expires.

“We believe she should depart the Turks and Caicos Islands and not be given an extension,” Parnell declared. “The Governor must not be extended for another year.”

The Governor was appointed on June 29, 2023, to a four-year term. Parnell claimed that during the June 25 sitting of the House of Assembly, Government members confirmed to the Leader of the Opposition that efforts were underway to secure a one-year extension.

Parnell outlined what he described as six reasons for opposing any renewal of the Governor’s appointment.

Foremost among them, he said, was her refusal to commission an independent review of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force promotion process after such a request was made by the Opposition.

He also criticized what he described as delays in making constitutional appointments, citing the appointment of Dudley Been to the Integrity Commission.

“His appointment was held up for over six months,” Parnell alleged, arguing that constitutional appointments should be made in a timely manner.

The Opposition Leader further accused the Governor of neglecting the Office of the Governor in Grand Turk, saying she spends only “a small fraction” of her time there. He suggested that if the United Kingdom no longer intends to occupy Waterloo, the historic waterfront property should be transferred to the Turks and Caicos Islands Government for redevelopment, either as an official Premier’s Office and residence or as a beachfront hotel investment for Islanders.

Parnell also criticized the absence of a Boundaries Commission following the General Election, saying one should already have been established given the prospect of constitutional changes.

He further argued that constitutional discussions with UK Minister Stephen Doughty should have included the Leader of the Opposition.

“That failure demonstrates bias,” Parnell said, adding that he was also concerned by what he described as the selective leaking of sensitive information that, in his view, could only have originated from the Governor’s Office, the Premier’s Office or the Civil Service.

The Governor has not publicly responded to the allegations made by Parnell during his address.

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands — The Turks and Caicos Islands is taking its case for an improved United States travel advisory all the way to Washington, enlisting the British Embassy as the Government argues that the destination’s dramatic reduction in violent crime deserves greater recognition.

The objective is clear: convince the United States that current security conditions justify moving the Turks and Caicos Islands from Level 2 — Exercise Increased Caution to the more favourable Level 1 — Exercise Normal Precautions.

Acting Governor Her Excellency Anya Williams confirmed that the Governor’s Office is “working with the British Embassy in Washington to ensure that the internal security situation in the Turks and Caicos Islands is accurately represented in U.S. travel advisories.”

That carefully worded statement signals that the matter has moved beyond local reassurance and into diplomatic channels. The Government is effectively taking its evidence to Washington after the latest State Department review maintained Level 2 because of crime, particularly in Providenciales, and cited potentially limited police resources for investigations.

Premier Charles Washington Misick says the statistics demonstrate meaningful progress. Murders are reportedly down 40 percent, while serious sexual offences have fallen 33 percent year over year. He also pointed to increased investment in border security, intelligence-led policing, crime prevention and law enforcement.

Tourism Minister Zhavargo Jolly added that the territory welcomed 203,587 stayover visitors during the first quarter, more than 10,500 above the corresponding 2025 period, with March alone approaching 80,000 arrivals.

The combined argument is unmistakable: crime is falling, visitor numbers are rising and hundreds of thousands continue to enjoy the destination safely—so why has the rating not improved?

This is also not the first time TCI has challenged an American assessment.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, then Health Minister Erwin “Jay” Saunders publicly objected after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lowered TCI only from Level 4 to Level 3. Calling the assessment disproportionate and potentially arbitrary, Saunders said he would contact the CDC directly and demand clarity about the criteria being used.

TCI was subsequently classified by the CDC at Level 1 — Low Risk, with the territory promoting its strong vaccination programme, low positivity rate and stringent visitor protocols.

That history will likely encourage the Government as it begins this latest fight—tongue firmly in cheek—with Washington.

This time, however, the issue is not a temporary health emergency. It is the international safety reputation of a tourism-dependent country. The Government hopes its falling crime figures, strong visitor performance and diplomatic engagement through the United Kingdom will persuade U.S. authorities that Turks and Caicos has earned a better rating.