A good choice
Education Minister El James confirmed yesterday what may have been the worst-kept secret in Bermuda – that the Ministry of Education will adopt the Cambridge International curriculum for public schools.
The decision is good news on a number of levels, the most important of which is, as Mr. James noted, that the curriculum is both internationally recognised and flexible enough to be adapted to local conditions.
For now the intention is to offer the curriculum for English, Maths and Science, which are the three areas where the least adaptation is required in any event. But it is to be hoped that in time, social sciences, foreign languages and so forth will be added as well.
As the organisation notes on its website, its curriculum is not "English-centric" and the geography "has more about coral reefs than the English Midlands". This approach should satisfy those who fear that any curriculum will not have enough information on Bermuda; it can be adapted. What is important is that Bermudians will be able to pursue qualifications that are internationally recognised, and that the Island will also have a benchmark by which to measure performance.
By that measure, no one should fear being rejected for a job, career or academic placement because they hold a certification that is not internationally recognised or because they went to a particular school. The key question, as Mr. James said, concerns implementation, and a decision on that will take place in June.
Mr. James rightly added: "The bottom line is that we have to get this right the first time. We will not get a second chance. As a result, we have to make sure we give ourselves enough time to do it right, but we have to go quickly enough to ensure that our children have the opportunity to succeed."
The good news is that a team consisting of teachers, principals and education officers will be working on that question; involving all the stakeholders is critical. It seems likely that it will now not take place until September 2010. That is probably right, given the amount of training and preparation that will be needed. But there must not be any delay in this schedule, and it is vital that all the stakeholders work together to make it a success.
Drought relief
Yesterday's rain showers have brought some relief from the drought which has hit the Island in the last month, but it will take more than the two or three days of rain forecast to reverse it entirely.
There should be no doubt that Bermuda has been suffering from a drought; until yesterday, there had been one third of an inch of rain in May, and less than average for the year to date. The good news is that the reverse osmosis plants installed by Government in the last couple of years mean that there is an adequate supply of water for trucks replenishing tanks and so forth. Having said that, some people have been forced to wait days for supplies.
That in turn means there will have been less pressure on the freshwater lens under the Island which has come under severe pressure in recent droughts. So Government deserves credit for moving on these measures, which this newspaper has called for for some time.
Government is also right to be pushing public awareness, although there should have been an intensive campaign in the last few weeks urging people to conserve water. That did not happen in a meaningful way, which is a shame. It is one thing to be able to supply water in a shortage, but there is still a risk that complacency will lead to water waste which in turn will require more RO plants, and the cycle will continue.