Column: Ben Smith On Education Reform & More
[Opinion column written by the Opposition Leader Ben Smith]
Every morning, long before most of Bermuda wakes up, I can be found on a pool deck working with young people.
Some dream of representing Bermuda at the Olympics. Others simply want to join their school team.
They all come with their differences, but they all have one thing in common. They want someone to believe in them, challenge them and give them every opportunity to succeed.
After more than 30 years of coaching, I’ve learned something that applies just as much in the classroom as it does in the swimming pool: Young people will almost always rise to the expectations we set for them.
The same is true in education.
For too long, our national conversation has centred on school structures, governance models and education reform. We have debated two-tier systems, three-tier systems, signature schools, parish primary schools and now an Education Authority.
These discussions matter. But they are not the reason schools exist.
Schools exist to help children learn.
Parents are not asking whether their child attends a two-tier or three-tier system. They are asking whether their son or daughter can read confidently, solve mathematical problems, think critically, communicate effectively and leave school prepared for whatever comes next.
These are the questions that matter.
The recent Cambridge International Education review should concern every one of us. It highlighted declining academic performance over several years and a widening gap between our highest and lowest achieving students. That is not a political issue. It is a national one.
Every child who falls behind represents a missed opportunity, not only for that young person, but for Bermuda.
As a coach, I know there is no shortcut to improvement.
When an athlete isn’t swimming as well as they should be, I don’t redesign the swimming pool. I go back to the fundamentals.
Are we training the right way?
Are we mastering the basics?
Are we measuring progress honestly?
If something isn’t working, we adjust. If it is, we build on it.
Education deserves that same mindset.
We need to spend less time arguing about organisational charts and more time asking whether our children are learning more this year than they were last year.
That requires honesty.
It means celebrating success where we find it, but it also means recognising where we are falling short and having the courage to improve.
Teachers should not carry that responsibility alone.
Every teacher I know wants their students to succeed. They work long hours, often well beyond the school day, because they genuinely care about the children in their classrooms. They deserve strong leadership, professional support and the confidence that comes from working in a stable education system.
Government cannot do it alone either.
If we are serious about improving education, every one of us has a role to play. Parents are a child’s first teachers. Long before children walk through the school gates, they are learning values, discipline, curiosity and resilience at home.
Reading with your child, expecting homework to be completed, encouraging good attendance and showing that education matters all have a lasting impact.
The overwhelming majority of parents already make those sacrifices every day while balancing work, financial pressures and family life. They deserve our appreciation.
But lasting improvement will only happen when schools and families work as genuine partners.
Teachers cannot replace parents, and parents cannot replace teachers. When both are pulling in the same direction, children benefit.
Students also have a responsibility.
They must come to school ready to learn, prepared to work hard and willing to take ownership of their own future. No education system, no matter how good, can succeed without young people making the decision to engage with the opportunities before them.
That is why I believe we should judge our education system by outcomes rather than announcements.
Are more young people leaving school with the skills and confidence to succeed?
Are they better prepared for university, technical careers and the workplace?
Are we giving every child the opportunity to reach their full potential?
These are the measures that really matter because they tell us whether lives are being changed, not simply whether another reform has been introduced.
I also believe we need to stop treating education as something that belongs to one political party or another.
No government has a monopoly on good ideas.
If a policy improves outcomes for children, it deserves support regardless of who proposed it. If it is not delivering the results we hoped for, we should have the humility to make changes.
That isn’t weakness.
It’s leadership.
The Minister of Education recently said he wants to rebuild trust in our public education system. I welcome that commitment because trust is essential if reform is going to succeed.
But trust is not built through speeches or press conferences.
It is built when promises are kept, teachers feel supported, parents are treated as partners and students consistently achieve better results.
Education is one of the few issues that will shape Bermuda long after today’s political debates have faded.
The child starting Primary 1 this September will not enter the workforce until well into the next decade. The decisions we make today will influence not only that child’s future, but Bermuda’s future.
That is why we have to get this right.
In swimming, no athlete reaches the podium because of one great practice.
Success comes from thousands of small decisions made every day by the athlete, the coach, the family and everyone working together towards the same goal.
Education is no different.
There will never be one reform, one minister or one government that transforms our schools overnight. Real progress will come from teachers who inspire, parents who stay engaged, students who give their best, school leaders who lead with purpose and a government that provides stability, accountability and the resources needed for success.
That is how champions are developed.
It is also how great education systems are built.
Bermuda’s children deserve nothing less.
Wishing every student and educator in the Bermuda Public School System a successful school year.
- Ben Smith is the Opposition Leader and Shadow Minister for Education & Sport
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