MINISTERIAL REMARKS
BY
THE HON. K. H. RANDOLPH HORTON JP. MP.
MINISTER OF EDUCATION
HONOURABLE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
Friday, September 12th, 2008
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Good Morning, Mr. Speaker and Good Morning, Honourable Colleagues,

I am pleased this morning to rise in this Honourable House and report to you and Honourable Members on the progress of the Ministry of Education since we last met in this Honourable Chamber in July.

As we know, Mr. Speaker, at the Ministry of Education, we believe that the ultimate goal of any restructuring we make in the education system in Bermuda must result in the students receiving a first class education that prepares them to meet their future academic and professional obligations and allows them to exist in their communities as productive citizens.

Therefore, I am happy to report to Honourable Members that the Bermuda Public School System 2008 term is off to a roaring start with 5047 students enrolled in our primary, middle and senior schools. With Whitney Institute Middle School as a temporary exception, all other school within our public school system opened on time. With 41 new teachers, therapists and para-educators joining an already impressive, Ministry-wide complement of principals, teachers and support staff, I believe we are well on our way to having an excellent school year.

On the heels of a successful Ministry-wide conference held at the Fairmont Southampton Resort on Friday, September 5th, 2008, which saw in excess of a thousand personnel attend, I am happy to notify you, Mr. Speaker, that on Monday morning this week, I was up bright and early and joined Principal Evereth Richardson and her faculty at the Somerset Primary School, in welcoming the students and parents as they arrived for the start of the school day and school year. It was an invigorating sight to see the emotions of the principals, teachers, students and parents running so high with anticipation.

After leaving Somerset Primary, I visited Sandys Secondary Middle School, Dalton E. Tucker Primary School, T. N. Tatem Middle School and Purvis Primary School. At each site, I was able to address the students, parents and faculties and encourage them to remember that, ‘They are what they teach.’

With these successful starts in mind, Mr. Speaker, we have one more school that we are yet to welcome back from the summer and we will do so on Monday morning. As you are aware, Mr. Speaker, the Whitney Institute Middle School has undergone a major transformation over the summer. The construction contractors and workers, under the guidance of the Ministry of Works and Engineering have worked around the clock over the summer. I join Principal Dr. Freddie Evans in acknowledging the fine work that has taken place and thank my colleague, Minister Derek Burgess, for the time and effort he and his technical team have assigned to this project. Now, we must finish the job.

While some feel ‘no apologies are necessary’, I wish, at this time, to offer to the parents, students, administration, faculty and staff of the Whitney Institute my apologies for the delayed start and thank them for their patience and indulgence.

Mr. Speaker,

As Minister of Education, I wish to assure the parents that the one week delay in opening will not have a detrimental effect on the academic studies of the students and I have every confidence that Principal Dr. Evans and his staff will execute the seamless transition of your children and our students from the rest and relaxation of summer holidays into the exciting world of teaching and learning. To our faculty and staff at Whitney, I want to let them know that they have the full support of this Government, this Honourable House and the Ministry and every step will be taken to assist you as you prepare to welcome our students on Monday morning.

Mr. Speaker,

The Mission Statement for our Public School System promises –

“A world class education system that meets global standards; values individual students by ensuring they reach their full potential.”

From primary school through middle school and into senior school, I believe any teacher’s plan of action, to counteract any downward spiral, must include the enlistment of those students that are steady learners, high academic achievers and natural leaders in helping them to reach and teach our troubled students and their peers. Our academically successful and more socially balanced successful students must develop a sense of responsibility for their fellow classmates and see their plight as a life changing exercise in joint ownership. This coalition against the anti-social behavior demonstrated by some of our students must be matched with strict adherence to school standards, inclusive of uniform, dress and timekeeping, and the creation of specific programmes designed to maintain order, promote uninterrupted learning and create an environment that nurtures in every student a sense of pride and belonging. We want to build in our entire student population a sense of community.

In unison, Mr. Speaker, the Ministry must move with deliberate strides instituting Ministry-wide initiatives that encourage resistance to gangs, violence prevention, conflict suppression and resolution, mentoring and cultural awareness. Through the Administration of the Ministry, we will work with schools to coordinate round table meetings and forums with our middle schools and senior schools that help them to open the lines of communication with their students. The introduction of system-wide joint Parent Teacher Association meetings between principals, teachers and parents will serve to bring the school family together. We will also encourage school clusters to have regional town meetings that unite principals, teachers and parents with the community so that the challenges our young people face are met by a community that cares.

We know, Mr. Speaker, that if the Ministry’s principals, teachers and support staff commit to tackling these antisocial challenges, they will be joining a Government that has both recommitted and redoubled its efforts to finding meaningful solutions through cross-Ministry initiatives and a Ministry Administration that is working to review and strengthen activities and programmes that already exist in our Ministry such as Life Skill and Character Education and those, like the all out assault on gangs initiative introduced to Bermuda by Sgt. Delacey Davis, who has already held discussions with principals of the Senior and Middle schools with a view to enhancing their existing strategies for anti-social behavior in their schools. We must continue the process of implementing a system that meets the needs of the ‘whole child’ through academics, technical education, physical education and the arts.

Therefore, today Mr. Speaker, I call on communities – principals, teachers, parents, businesses, health and social service providers, arts professionals, recreation leaders, churches and all of my colleagues in Government and in this Honourable House to join me in forging a new compact with our young people to ensure their whole and healthy development in a safe environment. I am now asking our communities to redefine learning to focus on the whole person. Recent events dictate today that I ask that all of us in our schools and communities lay aside our internal struggles and instead align all our resources and energies in support of the whole child.

Mr. Speaker,

Now that the preliminary work of the various working groups within the Interim Executive Board has now been completed, the second phase of their work is well under way. I expect to name a Board of Education in January 2009 an I can inform this Honourable House that the existing working groups will be transitioned to implementation groups and leadership to be aligned with Ministry Personnel.

The focus will be:

• Enacting the Cluster Board concept
• Early Childhood Education
• Curriculum, assessment and pedagogy
• Professional development of teachers, principals and education officers
• Standards and accountability
• Communication and the mobilization of parents, business and community

I wish to commend Chairman Phillip Butterfield and his team for the work they have undertaken for the betterment of our schools. We must acknowledge the work of Dr. Henry Johnson, Consultant Executive Officer. Dr. Johnson has brought to Bermuda a wealth of experience and expertise and our entire public education system is benefitting as a result of his contribution.

Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I inform this Honourable House that we have asked Dr. Henry Johnson to carry out the duties of the newly created position of Commissioner of Education until June 2009 when his contact as Consultant Executive Officer expires. Dr. Johnson has agreed to carry out the duties of the Commissioner of Education along with his Consultant duties at no additional cost to the Government. To be clear, the position of Commissioner of Education has not been filled and we anticipate the appointment of a designate in the not too distant future that will be mentored by Dr. Johnson to ensure that he or she is ready to take over the position at the end of his contract in 2009. In addition, the three Director positions have been advertised and this Honourable House can expect for the Ministry to announce in the next two weeks the two outstanding educators that will fill the positions of Director of Educational Standards and Accountability and Director of Academics.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that we, at the Ministry, must hold ourselves accountable for ensuring that each student entrusted to the Ministry of Education has the academic and cultural tools needed to succeed and develops a lifelong passion for learning. We must have a clear understanding of what our students should know and be able to do. We must work to also develop an even clearer understanding of how our children and adolescents learn.

Therefore, through the IEB, we are developing a five year plan that will include:

• An unrelenting commitment to enable all students to meet their potential, academically, socially and culturally from birth to adulthood.
• A curriculum that values Bermudian identity but also develops skills, dispositions and global awareness.
• A teaching profession that is so knowledgeable, skilful and caring as to be able to create powerful contexts for learning for all students.
• Principals who are not just instructional leaders but who also collaborate with other schools in meaningful ways.
• An educational system based on principles of innovation, transparency, accountability and equity.
• A broader commitment that mobilizes the contribution of parents, business and the community in the pursuit of educational excellence.

Mr. Speaker, such a plan will include the following sections;
• Review of the Hopkins recommendations;
• Principles of large scale reform from other successful systems;
• A reform model for Bermuda (this will be drawn from the review and the work of the IEB);
• Progress to date;
• Strategic Plan 2008-2013;
• Detailed Plan for 2008-2009;
• Detailed Plan for 2009-2010;
• Outline Plan 2011-2013

As the Ministry of Education moves forward with its five year plan:

What will it mean in 2013 for our students?

A Primary School Student in 2013 will leave with:
• International standards in literacy and numeracy
• A clear induction into Bermudian culture
• A learning plan based on individual aptitude and need
A Middle School Student in 2013 will leave with:
• A range of ‘entitlement curriculum’ experiences
• Well developed learning skills
• Clear expectation of learning futures based on diagnosis
A Senior School Student in 2013 will leave with:
• Graduation certificate of global validity
• Blended education experience

What will it mean for our Stakeholders?

• A Parent in 2013 will have:
– A substantive and meaningful relationship with their child’s school and teachers
– A clear understanding of their child’s progress and aptitude
– Confidence and evidence that their child has is reaching their potential
• An Educational Professional in 2013 will have:
– World class professional skill
– Higher profile and enhanced regard within society
– A clearer pathway and entitlement for professional advancement
• Business and Community in 2013 will have:
– Confidence that educational standards have a global validity
– More students being educated in the public sector
– A more equitable and vibrant community

Mr. Speaker,

I encourage all of us, if we dare to care, to stand up and be the responsive, respectable adult that our children turn to and know that together no obstacle is too great. Let’s ensure we have schools where teachers teach and students learn.

And remember that all of us, from the hallowed halls of this Honourable House to the four walls of our classrooms to our living rooms at home;

“We are what we teach.”

Thank you.