Bermuda First, which was heralded as a bipartisan effort to gain the input from the business community, quickly disappeared without a trace.

Even more worrisome is the Hopkins Report on improving education which has been sitting on the shelf for three years now.  That report included 10 recommendations (see after the hop below)  …. where are we on those?

Nowhere it seems. The Hopkins Report recommended that Bermuda approach educational reform based on “re-professionalisation” rather than “restructuring” of the schools.

Yet it is just that “restructuring” that the Ministry of Education proposes with its secretive proposal to close a bunch of primary schools.  Initially reported as a cost-saving measure, after public outcry the Ministry has done an about turn to say the closures would allow additional senior schools “to improve student outcomes”:

“Having multiple senior schools allows different pathways for students. Schools that focus on technology, performing arts, a sports academy, a gifted and talented school that provides the students academic programmes that end earlier and then go on to sports focused activities. We could offer a business and hospitality focused school.”

It strikes me that this is an incredible folly, and an example of the tinkering that has lead to such poor performance in the public schools in the first place.  Our failing public education system already has a huge budget per student …. which would surely need to grow even further to add these specialist programmes …. none of which deal with the sad truth that Johnny can’t read.

It seems to me that the Ministry should focus more on the core problems:  low quality teaching, inadequate teacher training, an overstuffed administration, the veiling of performance against standards, and lapsed parent involvement.

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE HOPKINS REPORT

1:   Dramatically improve the quality of teaching

2:   Move quickly to improve the quality of leadership by principals

3:   Radically reform the Ministry of Education

4:   Strengthen the strategic management of the education system

5:   Introduce delegation and transparent accountability at all levels

6:   Federate secondary and tertiary education, and, as soon a possible, raise the school leaving age

7:   Respond to concerns about inclusion and behaviour

8:   Create self-governing Federations around clusters of primary schools and each middle school

9:   Align the curriculum both vertically and horizontally

10:   Harness the power of parents, business and the community in the reform effort