Teacher training must be addressed by Government if any of its initiatives to raise standards and improve results are to be successful, it has been claimed.

When The Royal Gazette carried out a study to see what improvements had been made to the education system since the Progressive Labour Party came into power two years' ago, it met with repeated cries for more training.

Educators, the Bermuda Union of Teachers (BUT) and the Opposition acknowledged that some positive steps had been taken, but they each said that unless there was more investment in bringing teachers up-to-date, the initiatives would have little or no affect.

General Secretary of the BUT Michael Charles said it was all very well putting additional computers into primary school classes, but said they would be no use if teachers were unable to utilise them properly.

He said: "There is definitely a need for greater training and support of teachers in Bermuda.

"We do have some training courses, but sometimes they are not relevant, are of poor standard, or just badly put together.

"Don't get me wrong, there are some good courses, too, but quite often it seems as though some have been very quickly put together.

"I know the Ministry has had problems because it has not had a staff development officer since last June, but I think this area could be given more attention. "The issue of computers is one example. Besides the fact that all classrooms need more than one or two computers, I think that 95 percent of teachers are computer-literate when it comes to writing letters, but have no idea how to use the computers in lessons as a method of teaching.'' And he also said it was all very well making teachers more accountable by insisting they draw up detailed lesson plans, but said they had not been given the additional time to do it in.

Mr. Charles also said principals were being so overloaded with administration that they found it very difficult to sit in on classes, as directed by the Education Ministry.

And one of the areas he believed needed addressing was that of low teacher morale. He believed Government had failed so far to right the problem.

However, a task force to thrash out the issue has been formed this year by the Ministry.

Government furnished The Royal Gazette with a list of all of the initiatives and improvements it had introduced since November 1998.

Among them were the much called-for review into Bermuda's exam structure, teacher licensing, raised targets in literacy and numeracy and new curricula.

Although, Bermuda's students are alleged to be way behind students overseas, the Ministry has been given credit for setting up a committee to review the present exam structure.

Teachers need more training And union claims low staff morale is adding to classroom woes Time will tell whether or not the committee will benefit pupils.

Mr. Charles congratulated the Government on some of the initiatives, particularly the review, which was announced this week, and the reduction in class sizes.

However, he said other areas of concern were the maintenance of buildings, which falls between the Education Ministry and the Works and Engineering Ministry, the raising of standards, and the limited investment in fire and security.

A senior educator on the Island, who did not wish to be named, said teachers needed training in many areas, including how to implement the new curricula.

She said: "This is a major gripe of many people in education because we will not see a significant improvement in the results of students if the teachers are not themselves given regular training.

"I think some improvements have been made, but to ensure we get the best out of those improvements, we have to invest in and support our teachers.

"I think this Government has done very little by way of training teachers since it came into power. That has to be addressed.'' If and when the teacher licensing scheme comes into being, teachers will be forced to undergo regular training courses at Bermuda College in order to remain in the classroom.

But the process to set up the programme is, so far, moving very slowly and it is unlikely to meet its launch target in September this year.

Shadow Education Minister Tim Smith acknowledged that Government had taken some positive steps towards making changes for the better, but said he believed there was still a way to go, and graded the Education Ministry at C-.

He said the Education Ministry had provided a "minuscule'' amount of teacher-training and should concentrate on supporting and improving its staff, but also said the public should be informed of what the new standards and targets are for both teachers and pupils.

He said: "They talk of accountability, but in many cases fail to disclose what standard of achievement they are actually seeking.

"Without the targets, we might as well shoot arrows in the dark.

"The Government boasts about new curricula and then concedes that our graduation may not be relevant internationally.

"It boasts about placing more computers in the classroom, yet a major challenge is making sure the teachers know how to use the technology.

"The public expects the Government to hire teachers that are qualified; expects teachers and principals to be appraised; expects classroom sizes to be manageable, and expects Government to raise standards periodically.

"We must not believe that because Government is meeting these minimum expectations all is well.'' Union boss Mr. Charles said: "Unfortunately, this Government inherited an education system that had suffered many years of neglect and it's going to take a long time to put it right.

"Unfortunately, my gripe is that I would like to see them move more quickly than they are, but I guess there are financial constraints.

"Budgets are being looked at now, and they must realise that major funding is needed.'' Education Minister Senator Milton Scott said Government had already attempted to make a number of changes, and would continue to strive for better education.

He said: "I think that the list of initiatives that we have set up so far speaks for itself.

"We are addressing long-standing problems and achieving results. We have a vision for the public education system in Bermuda and we will continue to work steadily towards that vision even though we know that it will take time to achieve it.

"I would like to thank all the staff in our schools and in the Ministry for their continuing dedication and commitment, as we work together for the benefit of Bermuda's students.''