Bermuda College yesterday refused to comment on whether it checked out the resum? of a former employee whose qualifications have come under question.

The Education Department has launched an investigation after doubts were expressed about the curriculum vitae of Abdallah Ahad, who is responsible for running the information technology curriculum of all the Island?s public schools.

The Bermuda Sun reported on Wednesday that two American colleges where Mr. Ahad claimed to have studied said they have never heard of him.

It was complaints from Mr. Ahad that veteran College lecturer Dr. Sean O?Connell made racist comments - a charge he denies - that led to Dr. O?Connell being fired after 29 years in the job.

Mr. Ahad took notes of a conversation he said he heard between Dr. O?Connell and two other colleagues in the college lounge which he claims were racist and demanded the College take action ? resulting in the firing.

At the time, Mr. Ahad was a communications lecturer in the College?s Department of Applied Science.

The Bermuda Sun reported that Mr. Ahad, who now holds an $80,000-a-year post with the Education Department running IT for public schools, stated in his resum? he studied at Harvard University, but reported that the Ivy League college said it had never heard of him.

And it said he claims to have studied and taught at Cambridge College, Massachusetts, but that institution said it had no record of him.

When asked yesterday if Bermuda College checked out Mr. Ahad?s resum? before hiring him, communications director Evelyn James-Barnett said: ?It is a personnel issue and we are not prepared to comment on that.?