A recommendation on a new communications consultant for Bermuda’s public schools will be made next month, the education minister said yesterday.

Diallo Rabain said that the Department of Education had received several applications after the post was advertised last month.

He added: “The panel which has been selected to review and assess submissions will have a recommendation available by early June 2019.”

Mr Rabain said that the consultant would be responsible for developing a “communications plan for the DoE”.

He added: “This will be someone who is looking at long-term marketing plans for the DoE, so we can market the department better than it has been in the past.”

Mr Rabain said that keeping the public informed of the department plans and work was a “major issue”.

He added: “What we are looking to do is have someone in place that can concentrate solely on that part while we do everything else.”

Mr Rabain said that money had been allocated for the job in the Budget and that the post was in line with Plan 2022, the Government’s blueprint for education.

An advertisement for the position last month said that the consultant would be expected to use social media and podcasts to tell people about the education department’s work.

The contract will run for a year with a possible six-month extension.

The request for quotation said: “The DoE is seeking a suitable organisation or individual who is able to provide reliable strategic communication services that are aligned with international best practices and who will ensure that all stakeholders and our community at large are informed and kept abreast of the progress with Plan 2022 and the work that is being carried out at the Department of Education and in our schools.”

It added that the responsibilities of the consultant included “enlisting persons to tell stories about public-school education and unearth new and interesting stories”.

• To view the Ministry of Education’s Monthly Status Report, as delivered by Diallo Rabain, click on the PDF link under “Related Media”