As we near the end of another school year, I feel it necessary to speak to the state of our education system, the progress that has been made and our plans for the future.

When the Progressive Labour Party government regained power in 2017, and I was appointed Minister of Education, I committed myself to education reform that will raise our education standards, that will increase opportunities for our students to excel and compete, and that will provide professional development and career options for our teachers and staff.

While some may look at our education system through a negative lens, that view gets us mostly nowhere. We must look forward and look at the opportunity we have to restore confidence in our system, and its perception. We must cease with the “apples v oranges, private school v public school” debate and competition, and realise and respect that families have options.

We are all well aware that private schools can pick, choose and refuse students for enrolment purposes. Public schools must accept and teach every child that is “able to learn”, regardless of the level.

This is no attack on private schools and their operation model, but merely pointing out the facts and why the persistence of putting the two systems against each other does not help in the overall plan to enhance education across the island.

The persistent challenge in public schools that we do have is ensuring that the those of the highest abilities can soar as high as they can while ensuring that those with lesser cognitive abilities are still able to achieve to their highest levels.

It is a delicate balance that the system and the Department of Education, and the teachers, within must struggle to deliver daily.

That being said, as a parent and as the Minister of Education, I am firmly committed to my daughter being a public school-educated student, and am confident that she will excel in our system and beyond.

In the past year, we released Plan 2022 — A Strategic Plan for Public School Education. Elements of this plan have been implemented and we are working towards all milestones as indicated in the plan. We are moving ahead with our strategy to restructure the system.

In our 2017 platform, we spoke to the phasing-out of middle schools. We continue to be committed to this promise and pledge to proceed, ensuring proper consultation with all stakeholders.

As a government, we are aware that all stakeholders may not have the same opinions; however, all opinions are valid and wanted. At the end of the day, though, there will be some difficult decisions to be made. We will make these tough decisions and we will move forward with what is best for our children and for Bermuda.

There have been some instances of industrial action between the Bermuda Union of Teachers and the Government. In a healthy democracy, this is accepted and supported.

We must all be heard and listened to, and I always welcome the input of the teachers and their union representatives. My only request as we move forward with education reform is that all of us continue to put the education of our children first.

I sincerely thank all the teachers and parents for their commitment and dedication to their craft and their children. It has been a tough year, but mostly a successful one.

An unfortunate aspect of education reform is that there is often a lag time between the implementation of reform and visible results. Rest assured that your government team is firmly committed to ensuring better-quality results and achievement for your students and children.

I hope you all enjoy your summer and return to school in September ready for another year of progress towards a better education system.

• Diallo Rabain is the Minister of Education and the MP for Devonshire North Central (Constituency 13)