In a statement to the House of Assembly, Education Minister Randolph Horton said he had attended a conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Cape Town, South Africa, in December.

He said the discussion underlined that Bermuda was not alone in its challenges in education, particularly with poor results among boys.

"I realised that even though there are genuine concerns about education in Bermuda, we are not unique," he said. "Many of our concerns are shared by other Commonwealth countries.

"We are all seeking strategies whereby we might deal with the phenomenon of underachievement by young males."

He said fellow Ministers agreed school leadership and governance were central to the attainment of quality education.

"This is critical to the development of effective schools and certainly something that this country will be considering as the review of public education in Bermuda is carried out," he said.