School safety review launched to protect children and teachers
The Ministry of Education is to undertake a system-wide review to ensure the safety of students and teachers after recent violent and antisocial incidents in schools.
Crystal Caesar, the Minister of Education, shared the news during a post-Budget press conference yesterday, when she provided a breakdown of the $149.2 million allocated to her ministry.
Police launched an investigation in March after two violent incidents broke out between students in the bathrooms at CedarBridge Academy.
Concerns were raised in February about an incident at Sandys Secondary Middle School. Afterwards, a teacher said that neither teachers nor students felt safe at the school.
Ms Caesar, who was acting education minister before assuming the role after the General Election, said: “That is something that was highlighted while I was acting and I want teachers and other stakeholders to know that I am invested in ensuring that teachers are safe.
“What we are doing is collecting data and information to get a deeper understanding about the concerns of teachers — the incidents are never pleasant.
“We do care about our teachers and want to ensure that they are safe in classrooms and all campuses, so we are doing a system-wide review of safety for all — not just teachers and students but administrators as well.”
The ministry’s overall budget rose 7 per cent, which Ms Caesar said would “fund school improvements including education reform and student achievement”.
Staffing is another significant area of spending with a 26 per cent increase in the Budget for substitute teachers.
Ms Caesar said the allocation would fund approximately 23 substitutes, which it was hoped would close the gap in staffing shortfalls that have resulted in teacher burnout, according to the Bermuda Union of Teachers.
Ms Caesar added: “The need for substitute teachers is to cover for sickness. There are sometimes vacations and, often times, teachers are pulled out of the classroom to receive training to ensure that they are up to date with what is happening with education reform.”
Capital funding increased by 52 per cent to support infrastructure projects for Harrington Sound Primary School and Elliot Primary School, due to open in September.
Ms Caesar said: “The renovation and rebuilding of school infrastructure aims to create safe, innovative learning environments with a focus on accessibility and energy efficiency.
“This funding will also support the transformation of Prospect Primary School to a school for exceptionalities and continued enhancement for signature schools.”
The overall education budget included a $2.5 million contract with overseas consultant Innovation Unit for 12 months of work. A previous contract for 11 months was only $1.8 million, roughly in line with previous contracts.
Ms Caesar said of the latest contract: “We needed their services and that is what was negotiated so we can get value for money.”
Asked whether education reform efforts, including those by the Innovation Unit, were having any positive or negative effect on numeracy and literacy levels for students in the public education system, Ms Caesar responded: “We have seen transformation in our approach to education.
“We are incorporating more project-based learning and therefore there will be those students who are more inclined to enjoy that type of learning and will be better in class. In terms of overall results, that is something we will be able to tease out in due time.
“I wouldn’t want to speak to any specific numbers as it stands right now because we are still teasing out the fact that some of this is still new in terms of the way that we are teaching and in terms of the way that we are rolling out education.”
Ms Caesar said that the Innovation Unit had been training teachers and senior administrators in areas of education reform but was unable to say when Bermuda’s reliance on the overseas consultant would come to an end.
She said: “This transformation is something that we needed assistance with and we will continue to use them as long as we feel that transformation is something that we are continuing to pursue.
“Transformation is constant so we are training our own people to develop and understand what that looks like and continue even after IU has moved on.”
To assist Bermudians who wish to obtain tertiary education, the scholarship and awards allocation was increased by $222,500, bringing the total to $1.8 million.
An architectural firm has been granted $1.5 million to work on design plans for a senior daycare facility to be located a the old Gilbert Institute in Paget.
The seniors minister shared the news during an update on her ministry’s Budget which received an increase in funding of $5.8 million to $91.3 million.
Tinée Furbert said that planning for is “well under way” for the facility.
She said that the Department of Financial Assistance’s allocation was increased by close to $2 million, to $56 million.
There is $3 million for financial assistance low earners, $1.5 million for able-bodied unemployed persons, $25.7 million for pensioners and $18.2 million for disabled persons.
Ms Furbert said: “With the responsibility of protecting Bermuda’s children and strengthening our families, the Department of Child and Family Services has been given an operational budget of $21.1 million.
“The Office of Youth Affairs will be increased by $135,000 for community outreach through the community centres. The spending is attributed to expanded hours of work for community workers in the central zone community centre to support parents and guardians who work shift hours.
“The western zone community centre also expanded its hours to provide safe spaces for young people to have healthy engagement.”
Ms Furbert said the Dementia Care Service pilot programme introduced in 2023 will continue and that the Department of Ageing and Disability Services will engage in marketing on financial abuse and scams committed against vulnerable groups.
Ms Furbert added that $3.8 million is set aside for the third sector.
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