Education Minister Meets With Gilbert PTA
Minister of Education Crystal Caesar met with the Gilbert Institute PTA where “attendees received detailed insights into decision-making, student placement plans, and additional resources available to support families.”
A Government spokesperson said, “The Minister of Education, Crystal Caesar and the Ministry of Education team met with the Gilbert Institute Primary School Parent-Teacher Association [PTA], which included members of the parent concern group at a meeting on 25 February and provided important updates regarding the upcoming closure in June 2025. Attendees received detailed insights into decision-making, student placement plans, and additional resources available to support families.”
“In her opening remarks, Minister Caesar reiterated the Government’s decision to close Gilbert Institute and confirmed that as a result of the rescoring report published in July 2024, all decisions around school closures are final. She emphasised her commitment to providing clarity and support during this transition.”
“I understand and value your concerns about your children’s educational futures,” Minister Caesar stated. “My team and I are here to listen to those concerns and are dedicated to offering clarity and support throughout this process. The Department will arrange follow-up meetings before the end of the school term as an additional opportunity to engage and provide further information and updates. The Ministry’s open-door policy will continue to welcome your feedback.”
The Government spokesperson said, “Parents were highly engaged in the meeting, raising many important questions addressed by Department and Ministry of Education representatives.
“During the meeting, the Ministry of Education’s Permanent Secretary, Lisa Smith was pleased to confirm that the Minister has approved measures to provide additional options for parents at Gilbert and Prospect primary. Since the last meeting, the Department of Education has taken the following steps:
- Provide the option for parents to register at any school designated to be a Parish Primary School, providing there is space
- Increased available spaces in specific year levels
“The Department of Education staff shared that as of 25 February 2025, 43 out of 45 parents of Gilbert Institute have placements confirmed for September 2025. Acceptance letters will be sent during the first week of March, allowing parents to review and consider additional options, should they wish. The Department will contact the remaining two parents to confirm their children’s placements this week.
“To further ensure a smooth transition, two dedicated teams at Gilbert Institute—the Department of Education’s School Closure Committee and the School-Based Transition Team—will oversee the closure process by providing parents and students opportunities to engage in activities to provide smooth integration at their new school of choice. This model will also be replicated for the Prospect Primary School.”
43 of 45 have registered elsewhere because they hve no choice, not because they agree! You forced their hand!
PTA it is unfortunately a waste of time. You all saw the commercials before the election. The PLP will be making that property a senior care facility and since it was one of their campaign promises they wont be turning back. History will tell you that it does not matter if something is a good idea or a bad one, they are two proud or stubborn to ever admit they are wrong? Im not necessarily saying I agree or disagree with the closing because I dont know enough about it. What I am saying is that they have a history of making a decision, making a public statement and then consulting with professionals and appeasing the taxpayer afterwards.
They don’t have to agree. A school for 45 kids is not the best use of a facility when we can easily amalgamate these kids into other schools and also use the facility for senior care which is one of the most pressing issues in Bermuda.
Every school has history, and levels of sentimental value. However, we cannot allow that to determine what we do going forward when tough decisions need to be made. We always say we want reform, and we want this, and we want that, and then there begins the effort to block nearly everything the government wants to implement.
I personally think Gilbert as a seniors care facility is an awesome use of the space and that the seniors will benefit just as much as the students have.