Premier Ewart Brown’s admission he has deep concerns over the state of education shows the Government has “finally seen the light”, Opposition MPs claimed in the House of Assembly last night.

Education and housing issues dominated the discussion during the motion to adjourn, with United Bermuda Party members arguing more needed to be done in both areas.

Shadow Education Minister Neville Darrell opened the debate by saying he read newspaper headlines stating that Dr. Brown felt education is failing the public.

Mr. Darrell said: “There’s been an acknowledgement, finally after all these times, that we have a very serious challenge in public education. The light has finally gone on.

“It’s not been for the lack of us shining light on this side of the House. They have chosen to remain in the dark. The real tragedy of life is when a Government is afraid of the light.”

However, Mr. Darrell described Dr. Brown’s words as “electioneering”.

“Today’s newspaper is simply just another investment in hope that this Government is seeking from the people of Bermuda,” he said.

“I hope the people of Bermuda will see this statement as nothing more than electioneering.”

Mr. Darrell said that after eight years of Progressive Labour Party rule, there was no sign of a positive impact on education.

UBP MP Grant Gibbons continued the theme. He said: “The light has gone off for a lot of our students over the last few years.

“I would ask the Bermuda community to think what the Government has done in the last eight years in this area.”

Mr. Gibbons then moved the debate to housing, describing the Government’s record over the past few years as “dreadful”.

PLP MP Walter Lister took to his feet to accuse the UBP of failing to applaud the achievements of students who scored high grades.

He explained that Dr. Brown’s remarks about the state of education had come during a speech at a ceremony to reward pupils from Sandys Secondary Middle School.

Mr. Lister said: “There’s always two sides to every story. There are young people in our community who are doing well.

“The Opposition want to criticise every effort and every success of our young people.”

After an interruption from UBP MP David Dodwell, who shouted “total nonsense!”, Mr. Lister continued: “This is what stresses out young black men who are making an effort.

“There are young people in this country who make a valuable contribution. Parents could see the progress young people are making.

“There are many black and white young people in this community doing extremely well. I would like to say congratulations to every one of them, and the Opposition should do the same, but they can’t bring themselves to do it.”

Opposition MP Pamela Gordon-Pamplin retaliated: “Absolute rubbish.”

Fellow UBP MP Maxwell Burgess was the next to defend the UBP stance.

“We have had eight years of increasing percentages of failure at the high school level,” he said.

“I am grateful for the few who pass — I wish them every success. It’s wrong to say we don’t associate with the few that pass.

“We have a great and abiding concern for those who fail, and a commitment to changing the system because it matters to us.

“I say we must continue to support those who are failing. Unlike the honourable member, it matters to me that we are going to work diligently and we shall not stop until all our students can make it.

“Young people today don’t even believe they can get a home in their own land. If they are uneducated and failing high school, they are very unlikely to get one.”

Mr. Burgess then rejected Mr. Lister’s suggestion that the Opposition should applaud the Government for Anchorage Villas, its new development of 16 affordable homes which opened in St. George’s this week.

Mr. Burgess said: “If you take 16 houses away from the 600 people looking for one, we are still left with 584 looking for one.

“If they built 16 houses on an annual basis, it seems to me they are going to have to be around for 50 years to break the problem.”

PLP MP Glenn Blakeney responded by stressing the 16 houses was not “insignificant” and reminding members that more housing schemes were in the pipeline.

“I must commend the Minister of Housing for addressing the housing issue,” he said.

“The Minister will be unveiling a number of new projects in the near future.”

Turning to the education debate, Mr. Blakeney acknowledged the Government had a responsibility to improve the situation, but added that so did teachers, students and parents.

Labour and Immigration Minister Derrick Burgess said young people needed to be taught more about the achievements of their ancestors.

He said many children were doing well, but that if 20 were failing, “we have a problem”.

“For the last 20 years we have been losing for our young folks,” he said.

“We have got to start teaching Bermuda history in our schools — teaching young folks about their folks.

“When you walk around this country, you would think there’s no heroes of African descent. I want to let folks know the education system will go to another level. It needs change, and we will change it.”

The House of Assembly was adjourned to Friday, February 9.

See Monday’s edition for more coverage from the House of Assembly