The Opposition has called on Education Minister Randy Horton to tackle wide-ranging concerns raised by the Bermuda Union of Teachers.

The union took out a full page advertisement in this newspaper on Thursday, June 12 questioning the ongoing education reform process, sparked last year by the damning Hopkins Report into the Island's public schools.

Detailing concerns about Ministry proposals in areas ranging from teaching quality to school leaving age, and from accountability to the school curriculum, the union complained in the advert: "The Ministry of Education has largely ignored teachers' voices throughout the reform process, and so we strive here to make our voices heard."

It also claimed: "To date, the Ministry of Education has released only vague and incomplete descriptions of upcoming changes. Requests for information have resulted in more questions than answers."

Last night, Shadow Education Minister Grant Gibbons issued a statement saying: "It seems incomprehensible to us that a Government truly committed to improving public education would leave the Island's 900 teachers out."

Dr. Gibbons continued: "On Friday, the Education Minister had an opportunity to respond to the BUT's concerns in the House of Assembly, but he failed to do so.

"The Education Minister must explain to the people of Bermuda why teachers — arguably the most critical constituency and certainly the one that has the most impact on students — continue to be left out of the education reform process and why their concerns are ignored."

Pointing out that the number one recommendation in the Hopkins Report was to dramatically improve the quality of teaching, Dr. Gibbons said: "We continue to believe that education reform cannot be successful without the inclusion and active cooperation of teachers and the BUT."

No response was forthcoming from the Government last night.