their schooling, says the Dean of Hotel and Business Administration at the Bermuda College.

And Duranda Greene blamed middle and high schools for exposing students to specialised areas instead of immersing them in the liberal arts.

While she agreed that high school students should know what an accountant does, for example, she added that there was far too much emphasis on specialised areas.

CedarBridge Academy principal Kalmar Richards disagreed and said exposing students to specialised areas helped them focus.

But Ms Greene said: "I think it needs to start from young that the importance of a liberal arts education is stressed.

"I think the message needs to be delivered in the middle and high schools.

"When a student comes before me at age 18, if he doesn't already know its value he's not going to say `oh, I think I'll get a liberal arts degree'.'' Ms Greene also disagreed with the popular belief that there was a concerted effort on the part of Bermudians to push students toward specialising instead of pursuing a liberal arts education.

"I don't believe any educator would push students toward a particular area intentionally,'' she said.

Instead she said it was merely a perception that students were discouraged from pursuing liberal arts degrees because there were more advertised employment opportunities in vocational and professional areas, she said.

Mentioning the Bermuda International Business Association's `spiel' on business, Ms Greene said: "I don't think there are more opportunities, but the opportunities are more visible to the public through the local media.'' And Ms Greene said students have already made a choice when they come to the department and are therefore not encouraged to study the liberal arts before returning to the areas in which they would like to specialise.

No: Kalmar Richards Yes: Bermuda College Dean Duranda Greene