Dear Sir,

As reported in this newspaper, the implementation of a “true two-tier” Bermuda public school system is back on the education agenda again with the return of Diallo Rabain as Minister of Education. I could almost hear the collective “sigh”, which I am sure most of your readers experienced when reading the announcement. Out with the new (only 17 months with education minister Crystal Caesar) and in with the old, Mr Rabain, who returns for a recycle.

At this point, few of us care about what an education minister promises. After so many years, (decades) of a failing system, most of us are beyond giving credence to any more education reform speeches from the minister who holds the education portfolio. (No offence to Mr Rabain, in particular).

So what makes an education system successful? There is no magic formula but it has been proven that there are some essential components which are always present in the most successful schools, whether public or private.

If we look specifically at public education, where there will be students of all abilities, the formula for success is even more complex, but as you will see, the main education system framework remains the same for all.

Examples of countries with the highest ranked and well-developed public education systems (and there are others) include: Finland, Singapore, Canada, Denmark and Japan. These countries combine highly qualified, well-compensated teaching professionals, funding formulas that direct extra resources to disadvantaged students, a rigorous and coherent national curricula, more autonomy for educators/administrators and a cultural commitment to high expectations for every child, rather than tracking students into predetermined futures.

What that actually means:

High status teachers

Selective entry: here is where being ‘selective’ is not a bad practice but an essential component. Top-performing education systems recruit teachers only from the top tier of academic graduates.

Competitive pay: teacher salaries match other respected professions such as law or engineering.

Continuous teacher training: educators receive ongoing mentoring and professional development.

Adequate public funding

Need-driven distribution: money follows student need, allocating more funding to special-needs schools.

Resource sufficiency: ensure safe, modern school facilities and up-to-date education materials throughout every school.

Clear teaching standards and autonomy

Rigorous grade-level standards: high-performing systems offer a common, high-standard curriculum to all students, resisting the urge to water down materials for struggling learners.

Coherent frameworks: clear learning goals which outline what students must master at each grade.

School-level flexibility: educators enjoy freedom in daily teaching methods rather than rigid micro-management, granting school principals and teachers professional autonomy but paired with clear national standards.

Rapid interventions: teachers utilise real-time diagnostics to spot learning gaps immediately, with interventions (such as high-dosage tutoring) before a child falls a full grade level behind.

Early childhood education investment

Strong public funding/emphasisfor high-quality preschools: providing universally accessible, high-quality preschool guarantees that children from all socio-economic backgrounds enter the school system on an equal footing.

Community value: public consensus views education as a collective social good and primary driver of success in life. A strong, inclusive school culture is linked to higher student engagement, fewer disciplinary issues and better teacher retention.

Japan's education system combines academic rigour with emphasis on character development, social responsibility, and collective effort. There is a strong culture of discipline, respect and perseverance in school. Remarkably, students participate in cleaning their own classrooms, serving lunch, and maintaining school facilities, building responsibility and community.

Canada is one of the most consistently high-performing education systems in the world and it achieves this distinction without a national education ministry. Education is entirely a provincial responsibility and each province and territory runs its own education system. This decentralised model produces superior results.

In Finland, the teacher selection process evaluates not just excellent academic scores, but emotional intelligence, communication skills and a deeply vetted motivation to teach. All teachers — even elementary school teachers — are legally required to hold a research-based master’s degree in education. With its smaller population, centralised social and educational policies are easier to implement uniformly.

Switzerland proves that academic university preparation is not the only pathway to a successful, well-compensated career and it has the world's premier apprenticeship system. Approximately two-thirds of Swiss students enter vocational education and training after lower secondary school. The apprenticeship model provides dignity, skills and opportunity for the majority of students.

While there is no standard formula for a high performing education system, as we can see, there are some commonalities which are integral to a good outcome. They are well known, they are sensible and they work. All it takes is the political will to make the decisions, possibly unpopular ones.

You should know that much of what I have outlined here was previously recommended by the 2007 Hopkins Report, which demanded increased accountability and school results transparency for our education system — establishing clear education standards, teaching quality and holding all professional educators and administrators accountable for results.

Almost 20 years ago, that Hopkins report gave our education system a grade ‘F' and warned about its impending implosion unless a radical system overhaul was made. Well, here we are in 2026 with the same broken system. How far did we fall? How many children did we fail? You can be sure that this particular data is not readily available (transparent) within the Government’s department of statistics.

BEVERLEY CONNELL

Pembroke