Gibbons: ‘Raise the bar, not lower it’

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Education figures released by Government are “inadequate” and show a lack of progress, according to Shadow Education Minister Grant Gibbons.

Dr Gibbons said the information released last week by Education Minister Dame Jennifer Smith was “selective and limited,” noting that the report on exam results this year was a quarter of the size of last year’s report.

“This selective and limited information raises questions about what is being withheld,” Dr Gibbons said. “The blatant lack of transparency does nothing to restore confidence in our public education system.”

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Education has not responded to a request for comment as of press time last night.

Last week, the Education Minister announced that 95 percent of senior school students graduated with a minimum grade point average of 70 percent, and the number of students sitting external examinations had doubled.

Dame Jennifer described the Bermuda public education system as thriving, saying: “We have made material and tangible progress and the momentum is strong.

“Sustaining and building our momentum will require motivated, engages and supportive parents and community members. On the evidence shown today, our children, all of our children, are making positive strides in our system.

“Yes, we do have work to do, but let’s also celebrate these positive outcomes.”

Responding to the figures yesterday, Dr Gibbons noted that while 54 percent of GCSEs taken by public school students received a grade of C or higher last year, this year only 28 percent were able to reach that level.

“It should be improving, not getting worse,” he said. “These overall results raise serious questions about whether our Bermuda School Certificate-based graduation standards are meaningful.

“The OBA believes it is past time to have a serious discussion about implementing an internationally recognised national education standard for graduation.

“We need to raise the bar, not lower it, to ensure that Bermuda’s students will be properly prepared for either college or the Bermudian job market that awaits them after graduation.”

Dr Gibbons said an OBA government would create an Independent Standards Board — which he described as the education equivalent of the Auditor General — to provide independent and objective reports on school performance, graduation rates and exam results.

“Parents and taxpayers who are supporting the public education system with their hard earned dollars must have reliable and consistent information about educational performance,” he said.

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