The Permanent Secretary of Education and Development stood by a CedarBridge principal over her choice of curriculum.

Last week, a disgruntled CedarBridge Academy teacher called principal Kalmar Richards? new hands-on teaching method Quantum Learning ? ?the jewel in school Ms Richards? crown and the thorn in the side of students and staff?.

However, this week Permanent Secretary Rosemary Tyrrell disagreed.

?Not only is the school making improvements on what goes on in the classroom, but it is also providing support designed to empower the parents and guardians of its students,? Ms Tyrrell said in a release.

?I want to make it clear that this Ministry stands by the CedarBridge Academy Principal and teachers in their efforts to improve student achievement.?

An anonymous teacher criticised principal Kalmar Richards? choice to implement the programme without any empirical evidence to support it.

?Do we have problems in education? Yes we do,? Ms Tyrrell said.

?But I am confident that we are pulling out all the stops to resolve the issues and raise student awareness.?

However, she also said Mrs. Richards set high expectations for CedarBridge and disgruntled staff could be found in ?every workforce in Bermuda?.

She said she had an open-door policy and commended Ms Richards for encouraging teaching that fully engaged her students.

And she also encouraged CedarBridge parents to get parenting lessons at the school?s ongoing parenting seminars.

?Mrs. Richards has set high expectations for the CedarBridge Academy family which includes students, parents and teachers,? she said.

Criticisms aimed at generating improvements should only be honest, rigorous and well-intentioned, she said.

The visual, aural, hands-on and active teaching methods of Quantum Learning yielded ?encouraging initial results? when applied to CedarBridge pupils, she said.

But she also said the Ministry of Education and Development was conducting a rigourous, long-term study of the programme.