Government on Friday tabled legislation it hopes will help improve public education by recruiting parents in the effort.

Education Minister Paula Cox said that the legislation will amend the Education Act by imposing rules for parents of the Island's students.

“The research has shown that the success of children in school is hugely dependent on the extent to which parents play an active role in all phases of the school life of their children,” Ms Cox told her colleagues in the House.

“This legislation is part of the effort to ensure that the young people of Bermuda have the most beneficial start possible.''

The bill essentially gives the Minister powers to make rules affecting parents of students. The Minister will be empowered to enact penalties for breaching the rules. Ms Cox said that the rules will be made through a negative resolution procedure meaning they will not be subject to debate in any legislative chamber and that they will be in line with the Code of Conduct which was developed last year and set out roles and responsibilities for parents and students.

The rules were not “exhaustive in nature, and are intended to provide guidance not to catch parents out,” she said.

“We recognise that the vast majority of our parents already do what they know is required of them in the school setting. Rather, we wish to provide guidance for those few who, through no fault of their own, might not know what they need to do in order to be involved in the school life of their children.”

She promised that Government will make sure that parents who breach the rules will be given access to parenting class. The proposed bill is the latest in a series of measures aimed at improving public education and addressing problems of discipline among the Island's youth. Ms Cox said that while Government had implemented a number of initiatives - such as reducing class sizes at the lower primary levels and improving educational facilities - those efforts had clearly not been enough because of a need for more parental involvement.

She cited one mother's anguished call this week for parental involvement in young people's lives.

“I recently read in one of the local newspapers comments made by Mrs. Marsha Jones, who lost her only son under the most tragic of circumstances,” the Minister said.

The changes will help “with one of the calls made by Mrs. Jones - that is, that parents must not turn a blind eye to what is going on with their children.

“These are very powerful words. Parents must not turn a blind eye to what their children are doing in school.

“Parents must not turn a blind eye to their children's behavioural issues.

“Parents must not turn a blind eye to knowing those with whom their children associate.”