Shadow Education Minister Jennifer Smith yesterday questioned the logic behind plans for an audit of the Education Department's practices and policies.

Earlier this week Education Minister Jerome Dill announced he was searching for a US, Canadian or British firm to carry out the audit.

Yesterday, Ms Smith questioned the motives for the recently-announced audit.

She found it strange Government would choose to have an education audit when the public school system is expected to go through major restructuring, beginning next year.

"If this is a new Government policy, there are a couple of other ministries I can think of who need it as well,'' Ms Smith said.

"I am most surprised that in revealing that he is going to have an audit conducted the Minister focused on the Education Department's practices and policies,'' she added.

Noting the department was accused of being over-staffed, Ms Smith said she would have expected staffing to be one of the main points of references in the audit.

Education employs some 785 people, including janitors, secretaries, teachers, education officers and psychologists.

In addition to the audit, Ms Smith said the Education Ministry needed to set out clear goals so that parents could feel confident their children would leave school with the required standard of education.

For example, she noted, some high schools offered traditional English and mathematics while others only offered general courses in those subjects.

"Education is supposed to be a contract between Government and parents, Ms Smith said. "Parents are responsible for sending their children to school and supporting them while Government is there to see that they (students) learn certain things. But we still have students coming out of school unable to read.'' Earlier this week, general secretary of the Bermuda Union of Teachers Sen.

Milton Scott noted that when the union had proposed a complete audit of the education system in 1989, it was flatly rejected.

And while stressing an audit was needed into every aspect of the education system, he claimed Mr. Dill had agreed to an audit because of public pressure.

Mr. Dill said the Education Ministry would benefit from an outside look at the public school system.

"I, too, would be assisted greatly by a completely independent second opinion so that I can have confidence that we are proceeding in the best way possible,'' Mr. Dill added.

Mr. Dill, who promised to announce before Christmas the results of a review of Government's controversial senior secondary school plans, yesterday told The Royal Gazette nothing had been finalised yet.

"I don't have anything yet,'' he said. "I won't have anything until early in the new year.''