Column: Sherlock On Public Education & More
[Opinion column written by the FDM's Quinton Sherlock Jr]
Politicians and those with public platforms have become increasingly skilled at identifying what is wrong while becoming less effective at making things better. That is especially dangerous in education, where the objective should never be to embarrass the system, but to improve it.
The question is not who holds the title of Minister of Education. The real question is whether Bermuda’s public education system will receive the transparency, accountability, and practical leadership it needs to improve.
The outgoing Minister of Education’s tenure was not without its shortcomings, and the FDM will not pretend otherwise. However, it is equally important to acknowledge where progress appeared to be taking shape. There were encouraging signs of a greater willingness to listen to educators and stakeholders within the system. Pausing aspects of education reform created an opportunity for meaningful review, reflection, and course correction. Decisions such as not renewing the contracts of overseas consultants and returning experienced teachers to classrooms to reduce reliance on substitute teachers were practical measures that suggested a renewed focus on strengthening capacity from within.
The publication of Bermuda’s Cambridge examination results was another important step. Those results were difficult to read, but difficult truths remain necessary truths. Parents cannot make informed decisions without accurate information, and neither parents nor the public can fairly evaluate education policy without honest benchmarks.
Now that Minister Diallo Rabain has returned to the education portfolio, the FDM calls upon him to build upon, not reverse, that commitment to transparency. The Ministry should release the additional assessment data already in its possession, including results from the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests and the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System. These assessments provide vital insight into student literacy, the foundation upon which virtually every other educational outcome depends.
We must have enough respect for our teachers, principals, students, and parents to tell them the truth. You cannot improve what you refuse to measure, and you cannot restore confidence by withholding the very information that allows the public to assess both the challenges before us and the progress being made.
Increasingly, Bermudian families are making the painful decision to remove their children from the public school system. That should concern every one of us. Public education is one of the clearest indicators of our confidence in Bermuda’s future. When confidence in our schools declines, confidence in our future declines with it.
The FDM’s position is that Bermuda’s public education system can and must be restored. But restoration begins with honesty. Releasing the Cambridge results was a welcome first step. Transparency cannot end there.
Parents deserve the truth. Teachers deserve the truth. Students deserve the truth.
Public confidence will only be rebuilt when Bermudians can see the evidence, understand the challenges, measure the progress, and trust that every decision is being made in the best interests of our children.
- Free Democratic Movement Deputy Leader Quinton Sherlock Jr
