Press Release
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Science and Technology, the Hon. I. Chester Cooper, will deliver his 2026 National Back-to-School Address tonight at 8:00 p.m., ahead of the official start of the 2026/2027 academic year on Monday, 31 August.
In his nationally televised address, Minister Cooper will speak directly to students, parents, educators and the wider Bahamian public as thousands of students across the country prepare to return to the classroom.
The Deputy Prime Minister will provide an update on the state of education, highlight progress made across the public education system and outline key priorities for the academic year ahead as the Ministry advances its vision for “A Revolution in Education.”
Among the areas the Minister will address are literacy and numeracy, national examination performance, teacher recruitment, special education, technology in the classroom, student wellbeing, parental engagement and greater pathways to success for Bahamian students.
He will also speak candidly about areas where the education system must improve and outline the Ministry’s commitment to moving beyond recovery toward meaningful and measurable transformation.
The address will challenge students to take ownership of their education; call on parents to become even more active partners in their children’s learning; salute teachers and other education professionals as nation-builders; and invite Corporate Bahamas to play a greater role in connecting education with opportunity and economic empowerment.
At the heart of the address will be a simple national appeal: education cannot be the responsibility of schools and the Ministry alone. Education is the business of an entire nation.
Members of the media and the public are invited to watch the 2026 National Back-to-School Address live tonight at 8:00 p.m. on national television and via the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology’s official Facebook page.
As we begin the new academic year, the Ministry also invites the media to partner with us in telling the many positive stories emerging from our public schools and the wider education system. We welcome your scrutiny and your questions, but we also invite you to help shine a light on our students who are achieving, teachers who are innovating, administrators who are leading and schools that are transforming lives every day.
We invite the media not simply to report on the Revolution in Education, but to be active participants in it.
Because when we get education right, we get The Bahamas right.
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