Govt & Opposition Address Education Reform

[Updated] Minister of Education Senator Crystal Caesar and Shadow Education Minister Ben Smith provided statements regarding the education reform initiative.

Minister of Education Senator Crystal Caesar statement:

A Government spokesperson said, “The Minister of Education, Senator, the Hon. Crystal Caesar, JP, reiterated the Government’s commitment to education transformation and to maintaining open communication with school communities.”

Minister Caesar stated, “There is no announcement planned for Friday. None was ever scheduled. Engagement with internal stakeholders will continue as we progress toward a two-tier school system.”

“Education transformation is not a single event; it is a journey that requires honesty, flexibility, and a clear focus on what matters most: student success, family stability, and confidence in our educators. In September 2025, in my Ministerial Statement at the start of the 2025/26 school year, I reaffirmed the Government’s firm commitment to stabilising and transforming Bermuda’s public education system. At that time, I was clear that education transformation is not merely aspirational; it is an active commitment, with tangible actions already underway to move away from a three-tier to a two-tier school system.

“Over the past several years, the Government of Bermuda has undertaken one of the most ambitious efforts in our history to re-imagine public education. This work has affected all levels of the system, including middle school transformation, the Department of Education, and the Ministry Headquarters. While complex, it has progressed through careful planning, coordination, and close collaboration with key partner Ministries, including Public Works, Finance, Health, Youth, Social Development, and Seniors. Public education is a shared responsibility, and meaningful change requires collective effort.

“Throughout this process, we have listened to parents, teachers, principals, unions, and students; examined data; tested models; and learned important lessons about what is working, what requires adjustment, and what must be strengthened.

“As of January 2026:

• The Ministry and Department are continuing to move towards a two-tier system.

• Signature Learning Programme is continuing.

• Four Parish Primary schools are operational.

• The Code of Conduct has been revised and is operational.

• Third Story completed their contract in December 2025. The government now has the data, models, and lessons needed to move forward independently. This is Bermudian ownership of the next phase.

• Work has commenced with the Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy Transformation team.

“Our key priorities are: improving literacy and numeracy; strengthening teaching and learning; supporting student wellbeing; and ensuring stable, safe, and inclusive school environments. As we move forward, we remain focused on system stability and classroom-based improvements that directly benefit students.

“Decisions will continue to be informed by evidence, infrastructure needs, and ongoing feedback from parents, teachers, staff, administrators, and unions. While decisions will be made internally in collaboration with stakeholders, the public will be kept informed through formal updates. There is no announcement planned for Friday. None was ever scheduled. Engagement with internal stakeholders will continue as we progress toward a two-tier school system.

“Change on this scale is complex, but our commitment is simple: to build a public education system that prepares every child in Bermuda for opportunity, purpose, and success.”

Shadow Education Minister Ben Smith statement:

Shadow Education Minister Ben Smith said, “During the 2025 election campaign, I stated plainly that education reform should be paused and that a full audit should be conducted. Reforms of this scale must be rooted in trust, measurable results, and transparency. Post election, I was pleased that the new Minister agreed and paused the reform.

“However, it is the next steps that are now of serious concern. A responsible education system does not rely on assumptions or political messaging.

“A responsible system should:

• measure outcomes honestly

• publish evidence transparently

• corrects what isn’t working

• Invest where it truly improves student achievement

“If Bermuda is to regain confidence in this reform effort, these principles must guide the Government’s actions as we enter budget season.

“That is why I am calling on the Minister and the Government to take four steps that would immediately restore trust:

• 1. Publish the education reform audit or review findings in full. If no comprehensive audit was completed, commission an independent one and commit to publishing it.

• 2. Release a school-closure impact report, clearly outlining projected vs actual savings, transition costs, staffing redeployment, class-size changes, and any impact on services offered to students.

• 3. Provide an assessments and support report, including volumes, wait times, specialist staffing levels, and service delivery metrics, so families can understand whether identified needs are actually being met.

• 4. Commit to a quarterly public scorecard, giving parents, teachers, and the wider community clear progress indicators without political spin.

“If the Government truly believes the reform is working, then transparency should not frighten them, it should strengthen them. If parts of the reform are not working, then the public deserves honest answers quickly enough to correct course while it still matters. If mistakes have been made, don’t continue to add to them because the result impacts the future for our students.”

Update 1.50pm: Shadow Education Minister Ben Smith said, “Parents, teachers, and students deserve clarity, stability, and honesty about the future of our schools. Instead, they have been met with years of confusion, shifting plans, and decisions made without proper consultation or transparency. Bermudians feel this instability every day and our children are the ones paying the price.”

An OBA spokesperson said, “This coming from Shadow Education Minister, Ben Smith, after learning parents at Francis Patton Primary that the Bermuda Public School System will be returning to a three-tier system—under a different name.”

“The Minister cannot repackage a middle school as ‘Year 7–8′ and pretend it is reform. Families can see clearly what is happening. The Government is trying to present these changes as minor adjustments, but the reality is very different. That is a three-tier system, despite the Government spending years and millions of dollars telling the country it was delivering a two-tier structure. We are now seeing the consequences of rolling out reform without a complete, fully costed, fully resourced implementation plan.”

He laments: “What happened at Francis Patton Primary is extremely concerning. If the principal was told the school will not receive the building investment previously promised and therefore cannot accommodate Y7–Y8, then the school has been backed into a corner. That is not a partnership. That is not consultation. That is not strategic planning. This is precisely why I have been calling for the Government to publish the full reform audit, the full school closure impact report, the full assessment and support capacity report, and a quarterly public scorecard so parents and teachers can understand what is actually happening. Instead, schools are scrambling because the Government is changing direction without giving the data, the resources, or the support needed to make any version of the plan work.”

The spokesperson said, “We have to remember that the children now in the middle of this restructuring are the same children who lived through the learning loss of Covid, the social and emotional disruptions of isolation, inconsistent support services, and the continuing instability of a reform process that keeps changing course.”

Mr Smith adds there has been constant uncertainty for students which has had a negative effect in and outside of classrooms: “Pupils have had to ponder, ‘What school they will I be attending? What school am I going to? Will my teacher still be there? Is my building still open?’ What toll is this taking on our students’ development?

“Teachers are seeing higher anxiety, behavioural challenges, and gaps in foundational skills. Parents are worried. And our student support systems are already stretched. While the chaos of underdeveloped plans continues we still have day to day pressing issues. Assessment delays remain significant, specialist support remains insufficient and follow-up after assessment is inconsistent, delayed or non-existent.”

The spokesperson said, “He says it’s important to hear from public school teachers.”

“We need to hear the voices of the teachers that are dealing with this day-to-day impact but of course their hands are tied and voices muted. Without transparency, we cannot say confidently that children are being supported and that is a failure of leadership. This reform did not belong to one Minister and it did not belong to one department. It belonged to the Cabinet and the entire PLP Government, who gave it political backing for eight years.

“They spent millions on architects and consultants saw the Minister travel to Asia, closed schools without full plans in place, reversed decisions under political pressure in the East and West, and pushed ahead despite warning signs from teachers, principals, and parents. After all of that, they are now reversing one of the core promises of the reform. Bermuda deserves to know how did this happen? What went wrong in planning and execution? Who is responsible for the waste, the confusion, and the instability? Right now, the Government appears more focused on messaging than accountability but the public can see the reality in their schools and they deserve answers. This is exactly why I have said repeatedly that we need the Independent Education Authority up and running. We cannot continue with political promises that shift every election cycle. We cannot continue with children and teachers being asked to adapt to confusion created at the top. We cannot continue treating public school students as the testing ground for unstable policy. Right now, the Government has created chaos at the very moment Bermuda needs stability, support, and clear direction for our young people.”

Mr Smith concludes: “My focus is and will remain on the students. They get one chance at their education. They cannot continue to be caught in the middle of political indecision and policy reversal. The Government must immediately provide the support teachers and students need. They must openly communicate the progress made to date. And if changes are required, they must outline those changes clearly and transparently. An independent audit of the reform must be completed. An independent body must chart the path forward and any future plan must prioritise stability and student wellbeing not more disruption.

“The whole purpose of changing the tier system was to reduce transitions for students because transitions disrupt learning and development. Yet this Government has created even more transitions, more uncertainty, and more instability. Our children deserve better and Bermuda deserves the truth.”

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