Academic Dr. Eva Hodgson has hit back at claims that the Bermuda College board is operating in a politically motivated way.

And she questioned why former Education Minister Tim Smith said the board should not be politically appointed when he did nothing to change the system while in power.

At the start of the week, outgoing Bermuda College vice president Dr. Donald Peters said politics had stopped the board from axing the deadwood from the college.

His call for a board that was not appointed by Government was backed by Mr.

Smith -- the Shadow Education Minister.

But Dr. Hodgson said: "It's hypocrisy for Tim Smith to call for an independent college board when, for the last however many years, the administration has been unabashedly political.'' Dr. Hodgson also took issue with Mr. Smith's claims about political activity at the college in the run up to the election.

She said: "The PLP bias was not coming from the administration, it was coming from the students. The administration was as UBP-biased as ever.

"Regardless of qualifications, they would not hire anyone the least bit critical of the UBP.

"I had a long list of academic qualifications, but I could not get a job at the college.'' And she said the hiring of Jannell Dill, wife of then-UBP Minister Jerome Dill, as college president Dr. George Cook's assistant was blatantly political.

But she added that she had nothing personal against Jannell Dill, who she described as "attractive''.

She said it was clear the new college bosses were not acting in a political fashion as she claimed Mrs. Dill's salary had only just been stopped despite the fact that she left months ago.

She said students were still angry, as was indicated by demonstrations calling for college bosses Randy Horton and George Cook, indicating that little had changed at the college under the new administration.

She said: "I am concerned they are not more political.'' Dr. Hodgson said the only political decision the board had taken was to hasten the departure of Dr. Peters.

She said: "That was something the UBP had called for.'' Mr. Smith told The Royal Gazette that it was time to make the various educational boards set up by the former Government more independent.

He said: "I am less interested in a debate about what happened in the last century.

"We in the United Bermuda Party are convinced that Bermuda's children will be better served if we eliminate politics from education.

"It could, and should, start at the College. Can a college board truly promote autonomy of thought when it has a paid PLP member of Parliament as its chairman? We think not.

"If confronted with a decision that involved his political party can he put the interests of the Country ahead of his party?'' Eva Hodgson