Opposition leader Pamela Gordon has raised the ire of teachers with her recent comments that they -- along with parents -- must take some of the blame for students who fail to meet literacy standards.

Bermuda Union of Teachers general secretary, Michael Charles said his executive was up in arms over Ms Gordon's comments.

"We as teachers feel that it has really been 30 years of neglect,'' he said.

"She talks about the UBP's having provided funding, but funding for what? They put money into physical plant, in building the senior school which was to cost $40 million but wound up costing them over $80 million.'' Mr. Charles said that during the UBP Government "damaging education cuts'' were made.

"They could have done much more. In spending $40 million to build the prison, they actually had to make cuts in education.

"Numbers of teachers were reduced and this had a negative impact in several areas of instruction.'' Mr. Charles held that teachers "have always been at the forefront of concern about literacy in Bermuda'' and charged that the former Government simply did not want to listen to them.

"In 1981 we asked for an independent review of the whole education system and when they would not do it, we organised it ourselves,'' he said.

"That report reached the same conclusions that the Education Planning Team (EPT) arrived at some ten years later,'' he pointed out. "But even recommendations made by EPT `to ensure functional literacy' were not adopted by the former Government.

"The seven-point action plan listed programmes that were never implemented until the present Government did so this year,'' he said. (See box).

Mr. Charles also said he did not know what policy and direction Ms Gordon was referring to when she said: "If teachers don't follow policy and direction, I would say that some accountability must rest with those who are teaching the children.

"I don't know what policy and direction was given unless she is talking about the Writing to Read Programme,'' he said. "And that programme was taught but teachers in the programme will tell you that it is has not been successful.'' EPT LITERACY ACTION PLAN The Education Planning team recommended the following actions on literacy and numeracy in its final report ten years ago: Action Plan Summary 1. Establish a public awareness programme to educate new parents/guardians as to their role in the development of literacy in their children.

2. Provide programmes to ensure that three and four-year-old children are exposed to foundation skills for literacy.

3. Identify students who are at risk at the primary level and provides remediation for those students.

4. Provide personnel at the primary level to ensure the development of functional literacy.

5. Provide language programmes at the secondary level to develop and maintain literacy.

6. Provide numeracy programmes at the secondary level to develop and maintain literacy.

7. Provide a programme to allow functionally illiterate adults to achieve at least eighth grade literacy.