Education Ministry Video Series: O’Brien Osborne
The Island currently has a one-size-fits-all model of education that isn’t serving all of Bermuda’s children. O’Brien Osborne, Principal at Somerset Primary School, believes a personalised approach to learning will better meet the individual needs of our young people.
The long-time educator, who has been teaching for over 30 years, is currently serving as the Department of Education’s Acting Assistant Director of Educational Standards and Accountability. Mr. Osborne shared his thoughts on education reform, as part of a video series launched by The Ministry of Education, entitled ‘Stakeholder Stories’.
Featuring short two to three-minute interviews with parents, educators and other stakeholders from the community, the series highlights the importance of education reform in Bermuda.
Mr. Osborne said: “Education reform is important to me personally, because it speaks to the opportunity to authentically change education in theory and in practice. Classically, we know that students learn in a variety of ways. Hence, reform is the opportunity to put theory into practice.
“I’m supportive of the concept of personalized learning [outlined in the parish primary school proposal] and the implementation of learning pathways for benefit of our children. Personalized learning and learning pathways will facilitate our students in becoming more motivated, more engaged and more interested in their learning. This will naturally transcend to increased teaching and learning time, as well as improved results.”
Mr. Osborne said he also saw merit in encouraging more community support and involvement for Bermuda’s primary schools. “Reform actually presents an opportunity to go back. History often repeats itself and we know from experience that the village concept, particularly in our homeland, really works. Parish schools will allow that to happen in a more laser-like focused manner once again.”
The Ministry of Education ‘Stakeholder Stories’ series has two main objectives: to stimulate discussion around this important national issue and to encourage people to submit their feedback on the consultation for the proposal for parish primary schools, which ends this Friday, March 12, 2021.
Over the last seven weeks, the Ministry has hosted more than 20 public meetings with stakeholders to answer questions, listen to feedback and hear opinions from all sectors of the Bermuda public. The final public meeting was held on Monday, March 8 via Zoom and also broadcast live on YouTube, Facebook and CITV on several occasions to ensure accessibility.
This week is the public’s final chance to submit your feedback on the Ministry’s Parish Primary School Proposal. For more information, visit www.moed.bm or here. You can also email consultation@moed.bm.
