Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest was the keynote speaker at the Sustainable Grand Bahama Conference, hosted by the University of The Bahamas, and held at the Grand Lucayan last week.

During his address he said that one of the ways sustainable development is being mainstreamed in the educational system is through the national development planning process.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that The Bahamas is strongest when all share a common vision and participate as individuals, communities and institutions in advancing those shared goals. As such, he complimented the University of The Bahamas’ leadership position in the current discussion on Grand Bahama.

“I hope the influence of educational institutions like UB, but not just at the tertiary level, will help increase the awareness and adoption of sustainable development principles at the individual, community and institutional level and move us further as a country towards achieving our goals.”

“We need an educational model that develops analytical skills and critical thinking in our young people.

He noted that for Grand Bahama, there are three educational priorities that must be developed in order to advance the island’s sustainable development goals.

The educational priorities for Grand Bahama include creating more opportunities in technological disciplines: in this regard, he noted that young Bahamians must be exposed to more opportunities and careers in the field of technology – one of the reasons why the government has focused on the technology hub for Grand Bahama.

Secondly, Minister Turnquest said there is a need to harness the power of education, to widen the island’s participation into the traditional industries in Grand Bahama.

“Thirdly, we need to invest more in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).”

“Given our economic base in Grand Bahama, which is primarily industrial, this is of paramount importance. In fact, Grand Bahama has an opportunity to develop a large pool of experts in very specialized fields, particularly in the maritime industry and the industrial sector.”