The Opposition has said more information should be shared with the public about the intended workings of an education authority, before Parliament is asked to approve the required legislative changes.

Ben Smith, the shadow education minister and Leader of the Opposition, was speaking after Diallo Rabain, the Minister of Education, announced in Parliament that legislation for the government-funded “statutory body corporate” will be tabled in September.

Mr Smith said: “The minister has spoken about independence, accountability and good governance, and those are all positive principles, but before Parliament is asked to approve such an important change, the public should be able to see the governance model, the implementation plan, how success will be measured and why this model was chosen.”

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Mr Smith said the One Bermuda Alliance had supported an independent education authority for years as public schools need stable, professional leadership that “puts students first”, regardless of which political party is in power.

He said his party welcomed that the Government has moved towards that position, but questioned the body’s autonomy and effectiveness.

“The discussion now should not be about whether Bermuda needs an education authority; it should be about whether this legislation creates an authority that is truly independent, has the right people leading it and will deliver better results for our children.”

A recent review by assessment body Cambridge International Education revealed a pattern of underperformance at primary and middle school levels in Cambridge Checkpoint and IGCSE exams.

The Government ordered the review after The Royal Gazette reported that the same exams results fell below international averages in almost all cases in 2025 with underperformance also documented at senior school level.

Mr Rabain outlined in a ministerial statement on the education authority on July 17 that a number of interventions are planned to improve educational outcomes including strengthening mathematics instruction and expanding writing across the curriculum.

Mr Smith said an education authority will not, by itself, improve reading, mathematics or student achievement, as, he said, has been acknowledged by the minister.

Mr Smith said the Government had an obligation to explain how its latest approach differs from previous attempts to improve outcomes.

He said: “Changing the structure of the system does not automatically improve what happens in the classroom.

“Parents have lived through years of education reform. They have seen school closures, school reorganisations, new strategies, new committees and repeated announcements.

“Every one of those changes was presented as the step that would improve public education. Yet, too many parents still worry whether their children are leaving school with the skills they need to succeed.

“That is why people are asking different questions today. They are no longer asking what the next reform will be. They are asking whether this reform will finally produce better results.

“If an independent education authority brings stronger leadership, better accountability and better outcomes for students, then it will deserve support but this government now has to show the people of Bermuda how this will be different from the reforms that came before it.

“Success can only be measured by improved outcomes. Are more children reading confidently? Are more students improving in mathematics? Are more graduates leaving school ready for university, skilled trades or meaningful employment?

“Those are the questions that matter and those are the standards by which this legislation should ultimately be judged.”

Mr Rabain said in his statement that the authority was envisaged as a “public body held at arm's length from day-to-day politics”, with a “merit-based” board of nine appointed members.

The authority would be accountable to Parliament through its public board meetings and annual reports.

Its board would be tasked with developing the authority’s operational design in consultation with stakeholders, rather than “political actors”.

He said members will come with expertise, including “supporting vulnerable students”, with a Bermuda College representative and members who have private and public-sector experience.

The board will also have a commissioner of education as “a non-voting, ex officio member”.

Mr Rabain said then: “An education authority provides continuity across political cycles. It provides a governance structure whose remit is education and only education.

“It provides long-term stewardship of the system, insulated from the pressures of short political timescales and it provides a single, accountable point of professional leadership at the top of the public school system.”