THE Shadow Minister for Education has defended Randy Horton following his controversial sacking, placing the blame for a sluggish education reform process instead on an interim committee and group of paid consultants.

Grant Gibbons spoke out the day after Education Minister Randy Horton was ousted after two years as portfolio holder, replaced by former Environment and Sports Minister Elvin James.

Dr. Gibbons believes the delays in education reform since the publication of the Hopkins Report recommendations can be attributed to the committee chaired by Bank of Bermuda CEO Philip Butterfield ¿ the Premier's brother.

"Without being flippant, it is hard to fire your brother," said Dr. Gibbons of the Premier's choice.

"From a Cabinet perspective, Randy Horton was in charge of the process. But a large part of the blame rests with the interim board, who were charged with a very detailed process.

"It is arguable whether Randy Horton was actually running the reform process. The shots were being called at the Bank of Bermuda by Philip Butterfield. As chairman, he sourced and paid for the Hopkins Report and other consultants.

"The marginalisation of unions came from the interim board. Randy Horton understood the importance of unions. Clearly the unions have been marginalised. There has been no collaboration, little communication and a sense of exclusion. As a former teacher and former headmaster, Randy Horton would have understood the importance of getting them on board for the reform process."

Dr. Gibbons called the decision to sack long-time educator Mr. Horton "unfortunate", adding that Mr. James' first prerogative should be to gain the trust of both unions of teachers and principals.

"In some respects, it's unfortunate to lose Randy Horton at such a critical point in the reform process," he said.

"He has been there since the start of the Hopkins study [to reform education in Bermuda]. As a former teacher and headmaster, he has knowledge about the public education system, and knows its strengths and weaknesses ¿ probably more so than the incoming Minister."

Dr. Gibbons called the seven Education Ministers who have filled the role during the Progressive Labour Party's ten years in power "an extraordinary number", adding that Mr. James may be slow to enact change given the complexity of the task at hand.

"The difficulty is that if Mr. James gets involved at a detailed level, it'll take time to get him up to speed," he said.

"It is a complex but extremely important process."

As Shadow Education Minister, Dr. Gibbons has spoken to union members critical to the reform process and believes their lack of involvement has been detrimental.

"What's coming through loud and clear at a joint committee level and from talking to other stakeholders is that there has been no real communication, collaboration or implementation of a plan with priorities," he said.

"It is hard for me to believe that Randy Horton wouldn't understand the critical importance of a close working relationship with the two unions of teachers and principals. They were purposely excluded from the overall process. These are extraordinarily important stakeholder groups."

Dr. Gibbons condemned the Government for what he calls an "American" approach to working with unions of teachers and principals, calling for the Ministry of Education to see their involvement as critical to the success of education reform.

"There is a sort of American anti-union approach, like in the US where school boards ring-fence unions, seeing them as a hindrance," he said.

"It is essential to communicate and work with teachers to improve the quality of teaching, and at the principal level, to ensure that the leaderships delegates authority down. Job one is to build trust and collaborate with these two groups. There will be no reform without them on board, working with you to move forward."

Dr. Gibbons called the decision of the Government to pay for more external education consultants "remarkable", belabouring an already difficult process of reform.

"It is remarkable to me that 15 months after the publication of the Hopkins Report, only now are they bringing in another set of consultants for a detailed strategic plan," he said.

"You shake your head. Priorities haven't been clearly defined. To wait 15 months to get in another series of consultants, however good they are, seems an awfully long time.

"Why not use the existing knowledge base in the Ministry? The process, which is in great difficulty and lacking direction, is way behind where it should've been. They are piling more consultants on top of a beleaguered process. I worry greatly for the students, their parents, teachers and the community. The leadership isn't there in this process."

He hopes Mr. James' first task will be to win the trust of the teachers' and principals' unions ¿ without whom, none of the reforms recommended by the Hopkins Report will be enacted.

"It is very important for the new Minister to try and create a sense of collaboration and a working relationship with the unions of principals and teachers ¿ that is job one," he said.

"Then, provide a clear sense of direction in the reform process. Otherwise, it will continue to flounder. There is no buy-in or trust with the stakeholders, the unions. It should have happened from the very beginning.

"There's been a sense of suspicion and lack of trust. It got off to a difficult start. Instead of using the momentum of the Hopkins Report findings, it was squandered over a period of time."