Data that supports decision making on education reforms should be published by the Government so that the community can “see and test it”, the Free Democratic Movement political party has said.

The FDM said the lack of published outcomes and an “abundance of public outcries” was an indication that Bermuda had not received value for money from a lengthy transformation process.

Its comments came after parents of some parish school pupils said last Thursday that they were informed during emergency meetings that a recommendation had been put forward to discontinue years 7 and 8 in those primary schools.

Affected students would instead be redirected to one of the island’s three middle schools.

Crystal Caesar, the Minister of Education, insisted in a statement a day earlier that the Government’s core education reforms of scrapping middle schools and developing signature learning programmes were continuing, progressing towards a two-tier public school system.

However, presentations to groups of parents suggested that the existing three-tier system would continue for the foreseeable future, sparking confusion.

On Friday, Ms Caesar — who took over the ministry from Diallo Rabain last February — said she had pupils’ best interests in mind as she continued to gather feedback that would shape the next steps of the schools transformation process.

She said that she was still collating information on the best way forward.

The FDM said the reform process “has been handled through shifting language, shifting structures and shifting responsibility”.

It added: “Moving ministers around or rolling out new labels does not fix the problem. The disruption is felt by parents, teachers, principals and children.

“The cost of ‘reform’ is hurting the very people who have the least control over it, our children.”

The party said graduation rates had not been published for some time.

It added: “There is no public baseline and no consistent reporting showing how far we have progressed or gone backwards.

“Students, parents, teachers and principals have been clear and public for years that this is not working, including parent-teacher associations and the Bermuda Union of Teachers.

“People have been diplomatic about the disruption to our children’s lives but the truth is we have all failed our children.

“That is what we must accept. And at some point, we must put our foot down.

“The people have said no. Any more label changes are unacceptable.”

The party said there appeared to be a lack of transparency and communication by the Ministry of Education on systemic changes and how those could affect families.

It said: “The last-minute announcements show exactly why people don’t trust this process. Parents are being told about major changes with little notice, after years of ‘consultation’.

“Consultations can’t be Government talking at the public and then claiming the public was involved, especially when much of the engagement isn’t accessible for the average parent.

“If decisions are truly being made ‘based on the data’, then publish the data so families can see it and test it.”

The FDM said the issue was being prolonged and that “after years of reform and millions spent, there’s no justification for asking families for more patience while the process keeps changing and the results aren’t published”.

The party said it had put forward a detailed education policy created by educators and others within the system but claimed it was ignored by the Government.

It said: “The FDM education policy is about rebuilding Bermuda’s human capital, starting with a school system that works.

“Our plan shifts decision making away from the ministry and back to the people who actually know and serve the children, such as school leaders, teachers, parents and the wider community.

“An independent inspectorate publishes regular reports, including a school performance table, so everyone can track performance.”

The party said it proposed the introduction of a universal voucher system so parents could choose where to send their child — public or private — ensuring schools had to earn trust through performance.

Rolfe Commissiong, a former Progressive Labour Party MP, said the issue was historical and noted the “frustration and deep concern” of parents about their children’s future.

He said: “It is simply bewildering to me that seven or eight years later we still can't get this right for the sake of our children and for their future.

“If we want a more sustainable future for our country it will rest in their hands. We must not squander another generation’s promise.”

Mr Commissiong added: “Bermuda, by way of this debacle, is not changing fast enough to meet the global challenges that allows us to navigate the emerging risks at hand.

“In this case in terms of our public education system.”

He also claimed there was “lack of critical thinking, a strong transformative vision of the future and strong leadership from our education leaders among the Black leadership class”.

The Ministry of Education has been asked for comment.