More than 80 teachers and para-educators left Bermuda?s public schools in the last academic year with only five percent doing so because they were dissatisfied with the system, according to the Government.

New information released by the Ministry of Education shows that exit interviews were conducted to find out why 82 teachers and para-educators and three principals or administrators left during the academic year 2004/2005.

Just four teachers cited dissatisfaction with the system. Other reasons included moving abroad and progressing up the career ladder.

Ten industrial workers and two administrative assistants also left the Island?s public schools, giving a total staff departure figure of 97.

Of that number, 71 were Bermudian and 26 were work permit holders.

Eight Bermudians in total said they were dissatisfied with the system and one work permit holder said they did not feel effective.

Dellwood Middle School had the highest staff turnover rate. Ten of the Hamilton school?s 46 employees left ? a turnover rate of almost 22 percent.

The next highest was Whitney Institute Middle School in Smith?s, which lost seven staff from its workforce of 40 ? a rate of 17.5 per cent.

CedarBridge Academy in Devonshire recorded the highest staff departures in actual numbers ? losing 19 of its 117 staff or just over 16 per cent.

Berkeley Institute saw seven staff departures from a workforce of 71 ? a turnover rate of almost ten percent. All the other schools had five or fewer departures.

Of the Bermudians, 16 resigned for other professional opportunities and nine left the Island to continue their education abroad.

Ten Islanders left the system for personal reasons and three did not give a reason.

The Ministry of Education terminated or did not renew the contract of 16 Bermudians and spouses of Bermudians and nine retired.

Among work permit holders, personal or family reasons was the most cited factor (11) in the decision to leave ? specifically, relocating to be closer to family or to follow a spouse abroad.

Four work permit holders resigned or did not want their contracts to be renewed. Only one indicated they resigned because of another professional opportunity. The Ministry did not renew the contracts of 11 work permit holders.

Permanent Secretary of Education Rosemary Tyrrell said the public school system had to contend with the challenges of staff retention in Bermuda?s prosperous economy.

?The best and the brightest are always potential recruits to competitors in the labour market,? she said. ?It is, of course, important to consider the reasons for departure, as noted in our exit surveys, whenever a staff member leaves the Bermuda public school system.

?As with any other workforce in Bermuda, it is not unusual to have workers leave for any number of reasons, including professional opportunity, continuing education, dissatisfaction or the search for a less challenging environment.?

She added: ?Naturally, we have no desire to retain under-performing teachers in our school system and our efforts are geared toward retaining the best and improving standards of those teachers who show promise but clearly have room to grow and excel.?

Some teacher vacancies occurred because of internal transfers or promotions to non-teaching or administrative posts.

The Ministry says a handful of teachers who left last year have already returned or expressed a desire to return.