Senators yesterday agreed new rules and regulations governing the operation of home schools.

The Education Amendment Act 2003 was passed unanimously in the Upper House, which now dictates that all home schools be referred to as Tutorial Sites and that they have no more than 15 students.

Education and Development Minister Paula Cox introduced the new legislation in a bid to ensure that all alternative school sites meet strict health and safety guidelines.

They must abide by planning and fire laws, have liability insurance, and be passed by the Education Minister before operating.

Government was at first intending to also govern the academic standards of the schools, but has since chosen not to.

Minister Cox said that, provided the schools were safe for pupils, it would be up to parents to choose how and where their children were educated.

Government speaker for Education in the Senate, Sen. Victoria Pearman outlined the changes yesterday, and said the aim of the legislation was to ensure that no matter where parents chose to educate their children, students would receive instruction in safe environments.

But the bill also demanded that all home school children be registered with the Ministry of Education and that the home schools regularly assess performance.

And Sen. Pearman said tutorial sites would not be charged a fee by Government.

Education speaker for the Opposition United Bermuda Party, Sen. Neville Darryl said his party saw the bill as a positive step, but questioned why the alternative schools had been named tutorial sites, when they were universally known as home schools.

He said the word tutorial made it sound as though they offered additional lessons for remedial children.

Sen. Darryl said the new name “fails to capture the richness” of what the schools offered.

“It would be better characterised as a home school or home education,” he said.

“We appreciate that health and safety issues have to be addressed. We concur and we support the efforts of the Government to ensure compliance and uniformity.”

And he said it was nice to see Government “back away with its intrusion into curriculum. Government needs to take a hands off approach to the academic environment,” he said.

“That is my caution - that the Minister need not interfere with curriculum.”

And he said the Minister had much more to concentrate on in the public education system.

Independent Sen. Walwyn Hughes said he believed monitoring the home schools was a question of balance and felt the Government had done a good job.

He said home schools had provided some wonderful things, but said, like everything, there were good ones and bad ones, and that was why they had to be assessed.

He added: “There has to be some sort of assessment, but it's only a periodic assessment. I hope there is intervention, too, if there is not quality. It can be rigorous and quality, but it can also be less than these things if it's not overseen.

“We don't need to be heavy handed, but Government needs to be satisfied.”

And Sen. Hughes said he did not agree with Sen. Darryl that tutorial site was the wrong description.

Independent Senator Jeanette Cannonier also said that she thought tutorial site was the right name for alternative schools, as she felt a home school was where parents simply taught their own children.

And she said health and safety had been a big concern among some parents, and it was a positive step.

Government Senator Michael Scott said he liked the legislation, and believed that in order for students to be prepared for the rigours of life, it was important for home schools to be maintained to high standards.

But Opposition Leader in the Senate, Sen. Kim Swan said Bermuda should not lose sight of why so many children were entering tutorial sites now.

He said: “We need to wrap our minds around the fact that there is a flight away from the public school system. There are real concerns being exhibited by the public. They are exercising their right with their feet.

“Thirty percent of the populous is poor. They can't turn to the options of home schools, tutorial schools, tutorial sites or private education. They have to rely on the public education system. It's incumbent upon us to make sure that we can provide (a quality education) to reverse the trend.”

But Sen. Pearman said that was exactly what the Progressive Labour Party was doing.

She said: “That is the aim of this Government - that public education should become the education of choice, and all of our efforts are towards that end.”

Increases to Government scholarships were also passed in the Senate yesterday. The eight scholarships have been increased from $15,000 to $25,000.