Foggo Responds To Education Announcement

February 10, 2016

The announcement of “potential school closures“ was “foolhardy, reckless and irresponsible,” said Shadow Minister of Education & Training Lovitta Foggo, adding that the announcement has caused “anxiety and stress” for parents, principals and teachers alike.

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Ms Foggo said, “The announcement on Monday of potential school closures by the Education Minister was foolhardy, reckless and irresponsible.

“In view of the fact that no definitive decisions have been made, this announcement has caused anxiety and stress for parents of current students, prospective students, principals and teachers alike. This is unacceptable.

“With school registration beginning today, I strongly encourage parents to register their young ones in the school of their choice, within their zones.

“Do not be deterred from registering your young ones from those schools highlighted as possibly closing. The scenarios provided by the SCORE team and shared by the Minister were not endorsements of closure.

“In fact, ‘closure’ was not a recommendation. If the careless comments made by the Minister were designed to dissuade parents from registering their children at the named schools, please do not fall prey to that possible motive.

“Make certain that you do indeed register your children there, to avoid any low enrolment numbers which might in future become part of arguments for certain closure.

“The Progressive Labour Party is acutely aware that some tough decisions will have to be made surrounding education, however to put out a statement with no definitive information in it only serves to muddy the waters and cause confusion.”

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Comments (49)

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  1. inna says:

    Oh, stop being so obtuse!

    • Build a Better Bermuda says:

      How is it foolhardy and reckless to plan to consolidate schools to eliminate the unrequired cost overheads that would mean that the limited financing available to this country to finance the education, more of the cost per student would actually be able to be spent on educating them, rather than maintaining crumbling buildings.
      And while the SCORE report, written by a diverse group of stakeholders, did not advise closing schools as the best way forward, they recognized the necessity of such action and presented what they assessed to be the best actions to take in this regard, contrary to Ms. Foggo’s blanket assertation that closure was not a recommendation in the SCORE report.
      As for the minister making a statement without information, the minister said that they could now have meeting with the wider stakeholder community to finalize the way forward… what more information does Ms. Foggy expect out so statement that was made to present the report and let people know there we can now have the final meetings. The minister hasn’t finalized any decisions because he has always said he would discuss all options with the community stakeholders once those options were narrowed down and presented. Honestly, anyone that is feeling anxiety over possible school closures… where have you been for the last year, this isn’t a new concept and it is one that has been announced as a possiblity all this time. It is mentioned in the report as option, so it wasn’t just something the minister decided to pull out of his hat and say for no reason. Ms . Foggo really needs to stop making ridiculously hollow statements just for the sake of trying to bad press the government.

      • watching says:

        I think you are missing the point.
        No one said that school consolidation was foolhardy. The foolhardy and reckless part was to throw schools names into the public domain when nothing has been decided, and therefore causing confusion.

        • Build a Better Bermuda says:

          They are right there in the SCORE report… a report the minister promised he would make public once he received and was able to review it, so that final informed public meeting could be held with all interested parties. Ms. Foggo’s statement basically critize a the minister for doing what he promised he would do over he last year, and also critizing him for not doing enough. Her last statement was to critize him for not having done this yet… do get Ms. Foggo’s modus operandi here, she seems to be less interested in ensuring our children get the best education they can with the limited resources left to us, and Moore interested in just creating as much negative press as possible.

        • Onion says:

          Meh. If they made the decision and announced it people would throw a fit about consultation.

          At least this way the process only upsets people like Foggo who deliberately stick their head in the sand.

        • serengeti says:

          And if the information was not made public you would whine about there being no consultation, no transparency, no opportunity for parents to get used to the idea, blah blah blah.

  2. hmmm says:

    So Foggo says OBA should have come out and said they are closed with no public consultation.

    I guess that is how the PLP rolls….or is that just Foggo, hard to tell these days, the PLP is a fractured mess with individual egos glamouring to press.

    • watching says:

      That is not what she said at all.

    • smh says:

      Sorry, despite your attempts to mislead, nobody is that stupid. She did not state that at all.

      • hmmm says:

        If nothing has been decided, nothing should have been said is the gist of her position.

  3. Foggo, oba/ubp never accept responsibility for ANY OF THEIR WRONGS since they have been in power. For a political group to think that ALL IT DOES IS RIGHT, something is dangerously wrong there.
    Democracy and fairness DOES NOT LINK in this group’s minds. All oba/ubp care about is POWER,POWER.It is to be repeated….. this group will NEVER focus on social concerns of this country’s people.T
    Hm…..most are NOT LEAVING.Wonder what that message implies to a dysfunctional group of gypsies bent on DESTRUCTION OF A SPECIFIC SEGMENT of this population?

  4. somuchless says:

    The Plp should be the ones who cause stress and anxiety. Lovitta something needs to be done. There are far less students in Bermuda compared to previous years and the gov is broke. Lovitta, you’re bright. Think about it.

  5. mom says:

    Thank you Minister Foggo!! As this was a BIG concern to me, as I’m transferring one child to a school that was mentioned might be closing and having my youngest start the preschool in connection to that school for them to remain together and because the curriculum is far better as this particular school. I do hope that in the future Prospect Primary isn’t closed because they offer so much more, in my opinion, then other schools in the Pembroke area. Thank you again for being a concerned Minister and looking out for parents..

  6. between de lines says:

    MP Foggo, you are on point with your comments. I too believe the comments were timed to create turmoil for parents causing them to register elsewhere, hence giving MoEd further ammunition to proceed with actual closures.

  7. Truth is killin' me... says:

    “foolhardy, reckless and irresponsible,” that sums up about 14 years of it! On a serious note stop messing with our kids schooling and have a clear and concise plan projected to the parents.

  8. high road says:

    another grim reminder of 14 years of fiscal irresponsibility

  9. Unbelievable says:

    “however to put out a statement with no definitive information in it only serves to muddy the waters and cause confusion” – Lovitta Foggo

    And if the Government released a statement that said they were definitely closing certain schools you would be screaming “bloody murder!!!”. This issue has been on the cards since last year, maybe before that. We’ve all had time to expect it possibly coming down the road.

    The OBA can’t cross the street without you claiming it’s ruining the country, can you?

  10. AD says:

    I get some of what Foggo is trying to say…but I prefer to leave politics out of things (they really frustrate me at times) The BIG picture here though….IF you want a CERTAIN school – REGISTER AT THAT SCHOOL! The more applications, the less ammunition we are giving.

  11. Family guy says:

    So OBA will be closing these schools because of lack of $, but once I get my papers mr fahy I will bring my kids to live here and privet schools are so expensive. I can not afford the tuition and the distance now for elementary school will be an issue for me and my family and others like me.

  12. Family guy says:

    After we get our papers sorted out where are our children going to study, think about it ,you wan to bring more population and besides I des agree with large classrooms, I just think students won’t get the same education

  13. Navin Pooty Tang Johnson says:

    good..maybe some will take early retirement while there is still money to pay them…..a big part of the bloated civil service is the education system which puts out a poor product with a large large staff..almost one administrator for each educator

  14. AS YOU ARE says:

    Oh never mind, I forgot the PLP fixed the education problem when they wer govt..

    • Family guy says:

      How childish to keep blaming PLP for everything, our new government is suppose to bring solutions so address your issues to them.

      • Something stinks says:

        Well who should we blame?

      • Build a Better Bermuda says:

        For the first time in decades, the government has, trouble is people don’t like what needs to be done, we have schools that are under utilized and over utilized, we have schools that are draining what limited money we have just to keep them together when that money would be better spent actually on our children’s education. So, yeah, there is probably going to be some schools close, it sucks, but it is better that money goes to actually educate our children, rather than maintaining a facility that is unfit for their use to begin with. That was the point of the SCORE report, to look at as many options, understand those options and find the ones that would have these least damaging impact. People are going to be unhappy with what has to be done, but should the minister continue to try and make people happy… or do something to help our ailing system and give it a chance to recover… or we could do like the PLP, and continue to borrow money we can’t pay back, until eventually that money dries up because no one is willing to loan us anything any more because we can’t pay them back, probably end up economically enslaved to the IMF (ask any Jamaican friend how great that is), and then the whole of government services collapse, including the entire education system.

  15. jrsmith says:

    Thank you Ms Foggo for speaking on behalf of real Bermudians that care about our future.

    • Jus' Wonderin' says:

      What’s a real Bermudian?

      • Wow!! You don’t know? No one should give you the answer.
        How long have you existed here? Overnight, perhaps!!

        • Jus' Wonderin' says:

          Nope been here 34 years born and bred, just wanted a true definition since most of you PLP/UBP supporters and Alaska Hall keep spouting it off as gospel. So again…what is a real Bermudian?

          • Anbu says:

            A black person. There i said it. In the plps eyes, we whites are not “real” bermudians

        • Person who knows a little says:

          He means black Bermudians and for some reason he doesn’t see why only calling black Bermudians “real Bermudians” is a problem.

  16. Starting Point says:

    “In view of the fact that no definitive decisions have been made, this announcement has caused anxiety and stress for parents of current students, prospective students, principals and teachers alike.”

    LOL I would take that to the Bank, here are a few announcements that should follow:

    1500 LTR received status today, welcome to Bermuda
    Congratulations to the 5 couples who become the first same sex couples to be officially married in Bermuda this weekend
    The New airport construction starts on April 1
    Welcome to the New Triangle Casino, construction on Hamilton Waterfront to start next week

    and as per the above PLP directive to limit consultations that the fragile populace does not suffer anxiety we decided not to talk about these initiatives before they were decided.

    Personally I am all for it, I voted OBA to increase the economic population, get infrastructure built, bring true human rights to the island and seek out new economic opportunities. So far so good.

  17. Politricks says:

    You asked for transparency, you got it. So what he named the schools, nothing is final and if people used their nuggin they would know there are legal, and cultural aspects to consider before saying yep shop is closed for business. The planning alone one would think would take a year to execute properly so why on earth are you getting rattled. Now you know what the big picture is even if it could be ugly, you got it. News isnt always going to be roses.
    Not that I would ever get into politics but, why doesnt the opposition take things like this and map out what they would do and formulate a plan, you know demonstrate to the public that “you actually have a better solution. They simply complain with no solution. That’s not going to improve anything, show me and everyone else, what you can do so we can vote for you. If you are not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.

  18. Educate me says:

    Um hellur back under PLP’s rule this same discussion was brought about. Had the PLP done what they were supposed to do we would not be in this mess. Remember how Dame Jennifer wanted schools to partner with businesses to help off set renovation costs? Had the PLP spent OUR money wisely we would not be here at this time talking about this nonsense. My suggestion is every year the government repairs, renovates updates a certain amount of schools so atleast every 10 years a number of schools are being updated.

  19. Widget says:

    Ms. Foggo. Regardless of what the ministry says or does you will always go against it. Simple as that.

  20. Empty Barrels says:

    AS always Foggo is unhelpful!

  21. born Bermudian says:

    What is meant by Bermudians is born Bermudians with generational history!! Not paper so called Bermudians. And the majority of you criticizing Ms. Foggo have your children in private school.

    • Wahoo says:

      Yes and we still pay taxes and those taxes are used for public education.

  22. wahoo says:

    We spend $26,000 per year per child in the public system. We pay $80,000 per year per prisoner at West Gate. Pretty heavy.

    Private school costs max about $20,000 – just sayin’

    We should all be feeling anxiety and stress. Why would we possibly want to add more tax payers?