Public school principals told the first open meeting of the Island’s Joint Select Committee on Education today that they felt excluded from the reform process and unconvinced by a “scattergun” approach to making changes.

Four representatives from the Association of School Principals (ASP) voiced their dissatisfaction in front of the cross-party committee, which is tasked with looking at how the recommendations from the 2007 Hopkins report on schools are being implemented.

Carole Figueiredo, principal of West Pembroke, said: “One of the biggest problems we have is that principals are being told how and by what means they are going to be improved.

“There has been no real collaboration in this area. Our members believe, to quote one of our members, that there is a lack of respect and a lack of communication from the Ministry to ASP members.”

The principals, watched by a packed public gallery filled largely with educators, said ongoing management issues within the Ministry meant no one had led any real reform yet.

See tomorrow’s edition of The Royal Gazette for the full story.