National

Education Minister: This Cultural Expression Belongs To Our Students

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Ministry of Education is jumping into Junkanoo this month, with its cross-curricular integration.

Published

12 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Joshua Williams

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Ministry of Education is jumping into Junkanoo this month, with its cross-curricular integration.

Educators say they’re seeking to enhance learning in the classroom, while introducing students to a timeless Bahamian cultural experience.

Education Minister, Glenys Hanna-Martin, says it was intentional, deliberate research that led them to making it a reality.

“Boys and girls and teenagers throughout this country in their learning process, reflect on this powerful, cultural expression which belongs to them,” the education minister said.

“The music, the artistic forms, the dance and rhythms, the design and construction of costumes, the history of Junkanoo and it’s developmental journey, through our social, economic and political history, will all form a part of their instruction.”

The day also saw students put this integration into practice, with a number of junior junkanoo participants giving performances.

For Education Director, Dominique Mccartney Russell, and Acting Deputy Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Terrice Carey-Curry, it’s important to invest young people.

They also note these staples in the Junkanoo community who have already begun to give back to the program.