The implementation of a “true two-tier” Bermuda public school system is back on the agenda with the return of Diallo Rabain as Minister of Education.

In his first sit-down interview since returning to the role last month, Mr Rabain updated The Royal Gazette on the path forward as he settles back into the post.

He said it was key for him to regain the trust of parents and teachers after a period of upheaval that included senior schools not being prepared to take in additional cohorts as part of the national education reform plan he introduced.

Crystal Caesar, who was education minister from February 2025 until her resignation in July, had put paused plans to abolish middle schools and create a two-tier system of parish primary schools with senior signature schools.

She claimed that her intention to introduce a lower secondary level between primary and senior did not constitute a three-tier system, which was met with scepticism by many who said it was the same system as before under a new name.

However, Mr Rabain insisted that all data and feedback collected over the past few years points to the same outcome: “A two-tier system is best for Bermuda.”

Mr Rabain said: “Now the opportunity is, how do we go back to what we had in place and still develop a plan that carries us forward to get us to a true two-tier system of primary schools and senior schools?

“That is the intention.”

Mr Rabain’s first ministerial statement on reassuming the position was about the creation of an education authority to run schools at arm’s length from the Government.

His second spoke to a review conducted into low academic grades in the public school system.

The Government ordered the review from Cambridge International Education, the provider of the Cambridge Checkpoint and IGCSE [International General Certificate of Secondary Education] exams, after it was reported Bermuda’s grades in those tests were falling below international averages.

The review pointed to a widening gap between high and low achievers, and a general long-term decline in grades between 2013 and 2022.

Mr Rabain said one of the main reasons he returned to the ministerial role was to make sure that students could achieve better educational outcomes.

His statement outlined a number of interventions, including strengthening mathematics instruction, enhancing science teaching and learning and expanding writing across the curriculum.

“The interventions were developed by the Department of Education,” he explained yesterday.

“The key is, when you put interventions in place, you continuously monitor them.

“We have to be willing to put something in place and stick with it, but also know if it is not producing what we want.

“What tends to happen is we scrap it and start over but when we do that, we are starting from zero.

“We have to continue to strive and put in the things they need to reach the levels they can reasonably be expected to reach.

“We are here to talk about building on what we have done over the last 20 years, what is working and making corrections to things that haven’t gone the way we wanted them to go.

“That will take time.”

Mr Rabain conceded that a lot of time had already been dedicated to education reform before his original tenure, which began in 2017.

“It is something that is long-term and needs several years,” he said.

Mr Rabain admitted that senior signature schools had not been ready in time to push through the plan that would result in parish primary schools running from P1 to P8.

While Ms Caesar claimed parents “voted with their feet” by opting for tried-and-tested middle schools that were still open, Mr Rabain said it was because of uncertainty surrounding the plan.

“Of course, they [parents] are going to pick certainty. That is the trust we need to earn. If we are going to a two-tier system, there is a defined plan.”

There were also problems at primary level where funding promised for facilities was not delivered.

“The infrastructure that is necessary for our children to succeed will be provided for our schools,” Mr Rabain insisted.

“There will be more transparency than we had before on what decisions are being made and why.”

As outlined in his statement to Parliament that the development of an education authority would take a phased approach, starting with the passing of legislation in September.

The One Bermuda Alliance has consistently called for the authority to be independent.

“Independent is a buzzword that is used,” Mr Rabain said. “We will develop a quango to run education, which is used across the Commonwealth when you want an entity to run at arm’s length from day-to-day political decisions.

“Constitutionally, any entity that gets funding from government is required to report back on what they are using those funds for but there is no minister walking into the building saying ‘you must do this’.

“They can give general direction but that doesn’t mean the decision has to be taken.”

He said the suggestion was that all senior schools would have their own school boards and there may be boards for each primary school or a “cluster board” for multiple schools.

While a commissioner of education role is to be filled in the wakee of the retirement of Kalmar Richards, it will be determined whether it will continue upon implementation of the authority, the minister said.

Mr Rabain insisted that the $8.4 million paid to foreign consultant Innovation Unit — to help guide education reform with the help of Bermudian educators and stakeholders — was money well spent, despite the plan having not been realised to date.

“Some of the techniques they had used for teaching and how to approach the reform — I still see evidence of those being used today,” he said.

“We spent a lot of money helping to prepare our Bermudians to do some of that work.

“We are absolutely fooling ourselves if we think that we will not need to look elsewhere to find techniques or to learn from what other people are doing.”

At the time of her resignation, Ms Caesar criticised David Burt, the Premier, and his Cabinet for not allowing her to execute her ideas.

Asked if he believed he faced the same challenges, Mr Rabain said: “Sometimes you are disappointed, sometimes you get what you want.

“Cabinet is a collective responsibility and we are expected to adhere to the Ministerial Code of Conduct.”

He also said he wanted to create a culture where staff within the Ministry of Education felt comfortable speaking out to him and other leadership about their concerns.

“It’s a disservice if you are unable to speak,” he said.