Education Minister Jerome Dill yesterday gave Government top marks for keeping the public school system a high priority in its 1997/98 budget.

Other than the Health and Social Services Ministry, Government plans to spend the bulk of its money on restructuring the system this year.

And Mr. Dill said that was the way it should be.

"A compassionate community spends its money on health care and education,'' he noted.

Close to $69 million has been set aside for the Ministry.

Finance Minister Grant Gibbons said Government recognised the need for education and training to enable Bermudians to take advantage of new opportunities such as the growing international business.

Therefore, he pointed out, the most significant items of capital expenditure in the budget related to "the physical plant needed to support education reform''.

Of the $65 million Government expected to spend on capital account, he said, $20.7 million will go toward the completion of new senior secondary school at Prospect and the modification of other schools, including The Berkeley Institute.

In addition to the capital expenditure on educational facilities, Dr. Gibbons said Government was committing $1.66 million to restructuring educational programmes with the bulk, $796,000, going to Cedarbridge Academy which is scheduled to open in September; $500,000 on training teachers for the restructuring; $200,000 for development of the senior school curriculum; and $165,000 for consultancy to support education restructuring.

A total of $1.2 million was also set aside for teachers and teaching assistants needed to staff the special needs children's programme, and $144,000 for long service awards.

Dr. Gibbons noted that $393,000 had also been set aside for the Bermuda College's "Best Steps'' programme which provides tutorial and financial support to young people who wish to further their education, but need assistance in meeting admissions requirements.

Reflecting on the new Budget, Mr. Dill said: "It's an education budget. It is absolutely first class. Our primary focus has got to be on preparing our young people to meet the challenges of the 21st Century and the commitment is there.'' He also praised Government for spending $1.4 million for inclusion of special needs children in regular schools.

"When I was appointed Minister for Education it was clear at that stage that inclusion is very, very expensive,'' he said, "but it is also important. We won't have a spiralling of expenses, but it does mean from time to time we will have to spend money.

"For example, we had a special needs student attached to the Berkeley Institute and we had to have a person with that child every hour. People believe that anybody can do the job. But in many cases it needs to be a very highly-paid specialist.'' However, Mr. Dill said the funds provided will put education officials in the position to carry out what they had planned.

Among the items on the Ministry's agenda this year are the plans to convert five schools -- St. George's Secondary, Whitney Institute, Dellwood, Warwick Secondary, and Sandys Secondary -- into middle schools, turn Northlands into a primary school, and open its first senior school.

"I recognise that there are unforeseen expenses which occur every year,'' Mr.

Dill said. "But I think this budget allows us work comprehensively with what we've got.'' Bermuda Union of Teachers president Michael Charles said while he had not yet seen the budget, he hoped that money would be spent more wisely on education this year.

For instance, he claimed, some of the training for restructuring was a waste of time and money.

"We have complained about the quality of some of these workshops,'' he said.

"Some have been ill planned.'' He recalled that in a recent workshop held at The Princess hotel teachers were given a handbook while the instructor, placing the same information on an overhead projector, simply guided them through it.

"They paid $120,000 for that workshop,'' Mr. Charles said. "With the exception of the introduction held in September, the workshop could have been done in school.'' He also noted that the last workshop held before the mid-term break for high school teachers "was not of a very high standard''.

"We don't mind in-service courses,'' Mr. Charles stressed, "but what we have told the department time and time again is get us a reputable institute and teachers would not even mind paying. They don't even mind doing these courses on their day off if they benefit substantially from them.'' He also noted that Government still had not restored four sabbaticals, which were dropped in 1995, as promised by former Education Minister Clarence Terceira.

"They never kept their word on that,'' Mr. Charles said. "When we bring it up they always cover themselves by saying these things will only come about if there are enough funds. Yet they find money to bring in consultants.'' HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY HOA BUDGET TAXES TAX