Column: Robinson On Education System & More
[Opinion column written by OBA’s Dwayne Robinson]
It is very clear that Bermudians would like to see changes within our education system. It isn’t a matter of whether Bermuda requires education reform, it’s more about how that looks.
The One Bermuda Alliance wants all students to have access to a world-class education, which will enable them to utilize their talents to keep Bermuda internationally competitive in business, sport, arts, trades, and other vocational skills. We must foster innovation and reject stagnation.
We want teachers to occupy a prestigious position within our society for the impact they have on our next generation. We want parents who are engaged and feel listened to when it comes to the best interest of their children.
The current Government’s reform has been marred by objections from several parent groups and teachers, along with official votes of non-confidence in education leadership, multiple calls from the community for the Minister’s resignation, and controversial school closures. However, there have been triumphs for our young people and that should be celebrated as well. We can accept that we have issues that need to be fixed without casting a shadow over the entire public education system.
The current Minister of Education wears the responsibility of his reform plan, but he is not responsible for all the problems that exist within our public education system. Successive governments have implemented a policy they believed was right during their tenure, resulting in the problems we have today. Our children’s education is not one person’s fault but is all our responsibility.
The One Bermuda Alliance believes that education should be a collective effort with a strong emphasis on accountability. Politicians should be focused on policy to give educators the budget, tools, and economic direction while maintaining our school facilities. This helps ensure we produce the workforce we require to move Bermuda forward and foster a healthy society.
We desire the implementation of an Independent Education Authority that provides a national curriculum for all students, regardless of learning types and abilities, that evolves with global progress and sets the professional teaching standard. This Independent Authority should have highly qualified teachers, education administrators, parents, artists, tradespeople, farmers, fishermen, successful entrepreneurs, and members of the private sector who can collectively map out the education of our children and cultivation of our teachers over the long term, with no political interruptions. Regardless of which party is in power, the plan continues serving the best interest of our students and teachers, providing stability in education. This body will also maintain accountability and standards amongst teachers, with much less political interference.
The One Bermuda Alliance envisions a National Parent Teacher Association, so that common problems in our schools can be brought forward and dealt with collectively, rather than parents advocating separately. Bermuda should never see schools placed against one another, as we have seen in this Minister’s education reform ever again. We want to encourage parents to have a voice, which will in turn increase their engagement within the Bermuda Public School System.
I am pleased to have heard the Minister pick up an OBA suggestion regarding the Independent Education Authority and look forward to it being implemented sooner rather than later to assist in navigating our education system through these turbulent times. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen any legislative movement on implementing the Independent Education Authority, and when it was mentioned by the PLP, they continued to miss a very crucial word…Independent.
Our educators are spread thin, lacking resources, staff, and are adjusting to an ever-changing reform plan.
The One Bermuda Alliance recognizes that our public education system must be a priority to all Bermudians. We need a culture of learning which fosters a national standard of engagement from all of us, to uplift our students, value our teachers’ roles in society, and help tackle our society’s social issues.
- Dwayne Robinson is an Opposition Senator and candidate for constituency 30, Southampton East Central.
EDUCATION.
How long do you think it will take Bermuda to get back on its feet. ?
The short answer is, define the difference between private school education and public school education.
Are you an i as an interested party are trying to solve a 20 + year proble which in time would become a 30 + year problem.
Bermuda needs to do a 100% about face which ends in results .
What we have now is not good enough looking into the future.
May be the Government should get out of the education Business and hand it over to the private school system including all the building say on lend lease plan to start with , if they even want that !.
Every penny spent by Government could go to subsiizes the entire school Bermuda system fro public to private if you are truly looking for results.
Segregating children is not a good idea.
The employers first question during a job application interview is where did you go to school ?
That is kick in the rear end to start with !
If a person can not write a resume are they in trouble ?
I know life is not fair , and it will never will be .
What we see here the sheer mis reprentation going on in this island proves the point .
IT IS NOT WHAT YOU KNOW, IT IS WHO YOU KNOW !
THE STENCH OF NETAPOSIUM !
I have been there and seen it .
Simply because i / we all have different skills we can no have an academis doing plumbing can we ?
Not all children are the same as they come from different political social economic back grounds that is to say that you / we can not and should not force young people to educate them selves into diferent avenuses in the work force that are not suitable .
There is another big problem here ,which is teaching all the wrong subjects teaching English history for example that is about Royalty and wars just to prove the student has a good memory.
Computer science is the better option just saying.
What does not put food on the table ?
Just saying !
Look at it this way , Daddy is a plumber so his son wants to be a plumber in order to keep the family business going.
Mother is a secretary so she may want her daughter to be a secretary also , literary arts are the answer there.
***** MAT BE THETIME HAS COME OR IS IT IOVER DUE , TO LOOK AT THE REQUIRED END RESULTS AND WORK BACK FROM THERE .*****
How many of our young people are working or trapped in the wrong job ?
Life is a jig saw puzzle where every piece has to fit .
PARENT TEACHERS ASSSOCIATION
Is that 51 +/- people all wanting something different ?
Mr Robinson do ask each one of us these questions we need answers now, not in 30 years or so .
Are you happy in your job ?
Should a person have more than one skill ?
Are you happy with your pay packet?
Where you, or are you satisfied with your education ?
Does education start for you after a person leaves school ?
Is there alot of treachery going on in this world ?
EG
A university graduate sold me a peddle bike in a store in the USA that was for me heart breaking for her .
Mr. Robinsin. i am a person who with an in vane attempt to look at all the avenues .
The Ministry of Education was allotted $142.6 million in the February 2024 budget and an additional $1.55 million in September. That is $144.15 million to educate “about 6,000 students”, or $24,025 per student. Tuition at a private school in Bermuda is less than that. And the private schools are better maintained.
I suspect that like most education budgets, most of the Education money goes towards salaries, benefits, and buildings. Is there a specific line item for spending on students?
Private school tuition also goes on “salaries, benefits, and buildings”.
And the buildings are better maintained (or simply, maintained).
“$24,025 per student.” do you actually believe that much money per student is spent on a student? It’s fuzzy math.
You can call it “fuzzy math” or the “theory of averaging” in the absence of specific details. Take your pick.
You put forth a number when, in reality, nowhere near that much money is actually spent on students. I’m not being overcritical; I’m just pointing out the obvious flaw in your calculation. Did you factor in the 9-month or so school year and deduct a percentage of that money? Kids are not in school all year long. Some slow kids, maybe, in summer school with a handful of teachers. Bermuda Budget Book 2023-2024 FINAL contains all the details on where the money was spent.
I hope that you Mr Robinson do no take my comment the wrong way .
Believe this scare about Bermuda its future and the young people who will inherit that future.
We need thinkers not blue suits .
I realize what you are trying to accomplish is for no less than the best for all who live here, our children , our business people and our country.
The competition out there for the almighty dollar is no less than fierce .
No good earning money if you can not know how to invest it !
What is expected of our young people is beyond all contemplation with 6 or 7 subjects.
Education mean diferent thing to diferent people who come for diferent walks of life.
Economics affects our people who are struggling to make ends meet if they have a hard time to put food on the table.
I know it and you know it, holding it all to gather for many people is a momouth task.
So Sir We are what are , many can not be any more than what they are, and they are what they want to be.
I hate taking the exams with trick quwstions which are make or break for many young people and serves no purpose .
One of my theories is :-
” The Most intelagent man in the world is not the man who knows alot but the man who knows where he can find it out .
I have this idea as a trial experiment .
The old way are just that, the old ways .
Several professionals for example have consultation groups the deal with heart attacks which coud be infront of the patient! can’t blame them one bit .
That is not the same as cheating in an exam room ?
The state if the art in brilliance . An Experiment
Inform a several young persons in advance and invite them to participsate in a trial or experiment to go into an exam room with a computer with all the apps and all the books of their choosing and half a dozen friend as council and any other available tools he /she requires.
The exam can be done in side a library then see what happens , you will be surprised pass or fail.
Failure will instantly change a person life .
It is not how much chocolate or what ever a person eats before the exam to perk up memory with a hi !
A person who passes an exam on the fist day of the month will most likely fail the same exam 30 day later .
Exams are based on a persons memory either short term or long term memory may be photographic or from the cram session from the night before .
Let me sweeze in the trick question some where here most exams have them .
There are some safeguards relating to professionals , its is call 6 year of constant studdy.
Mr. D . Robinson.
Greetings
Allow me to set the scene here ,with a question and an answer at the same time on the same page.
We are talking about educating young people regardless whether they are home schooled
private schooed l or public schooled, that obviously has to be with out doubt the ultimate goal here .
I am sure and hope that we all will agree that every young person should receive the very best education that our dollars can possibly provide, regardless .
I have my shoes to and in order to educate our young people as their and this countries future is depends on it .
” If we live for today with no thought of tomorrow we are as a nation doomed .”
There an be no greater challenge ever if it takes 100 millian dollars in debt. …………….oops !
The folowing relates to educating our young people nothing more and nothing less as as we focus on our and their and this countries future .
I refer each an every young person as students of knowledge and good judgement and ability, as education is more than 2+2.
being non the less our gift of good judgement and common sense .
We see that the public school students are funded by our tax dollars and the private school students are not.
Can we not see the difference? Where there is a difference !
Do they care more about afordable housing than they care about afordable education including electric busses bigest blunder in history ( sarcasm )
Education is devided with a difference, case in point if i send my *daughter to public school and my *son to a private school the answer has to be no less than yes, there is a difference !
The worst situation is not about affordability if a young person looses their father a major wage earner or another whose father own two or more houses, cherry picking , is the wrong answer.
Mother has to make some drastic decisions.
This has be on every body minds ?
25 out of 6,000 is not a very good student track record .
What is going to be done about it.