I welcome the publication of the Government’s Annual Borrowing Plan 2026/27. The continued publication of this Plan allows Bahamians, investors, Parliament and the wider public to understand the Government’s borrowing strategy better.
The Borrowing Plan presents a picture of improving public finances. It states that the Government is entering the new fiscal year from “a position of improving fiscal strength” and projects an overall budget surplus of $223.1 million.
If that is indeed the case, then Bahamians are entitled to ask a simple question:
When will that stronger fiscal position translate into meaningful improvements in the lives of the public servants who keep this country running?
Fiscal discipline is not an end in itself. Its purpose must be to improve the lives of Bahamians.
Today, our teachers and many other public servants continue to wait for outstanding increments and back pay, fair salary adjustments, better working conditions and the recognition they have earned through years of dedicated service.
At the same time, the Government has announced plans to recruit approximately 300 teachers from overseas to help address shortages in our classrooms.
Let me be clear.
There is a genuine need to fill vacancies in our schools, particularly in specialist subject areas. Every child deserves a qualified teacher in the classroom.
We are not properly prioritizing our public finances.
Shouldn’t our priority be retaining experienced Bahamian teachers, recruiting more Bahamian graduates into the profession, and ensuring that teaching remains an attractive career for future generations?
Recruiting teachers internationally involves costs that extend well beyond salaries. There are recruitment campaigns, immigration and work permit processing, relocation expenses, orientation, training, and the inevitable adjustment period before new teachers become fully integrated into our education system.
Those are real costs.
If the Government has the resources to strengthen its cash position, it should ensure that improving finances is directed toward paying outstanding increments, settling back pay, improving working conditions, and making teaching a profession that talented Bahamians choose to enter and remain in. The same principle applies to our nurses and other essential public servants.
Strong public finances should strengthen our classrooms and our hospitals.
They should strengthen the people who dedicate their lives to serving the Bahamian people.
Stronger public finances must produce stronger public services.
Kwasi Thompson, LLB. MP. JP.
Opposition Shadow Finance Spokesman