Education Minister Milton Scott has responded to union claims that teachers are becoming stressed-out over the number of new programmes being introduced to their schools.

Bermuda Union of Teachers general secretary Mike Charles said he was concerned after Government announced a new curriculum for primary schools on the Island from September next year, with some schools piloting them now.

He said he was not criticising the new curriculum, and said it could be a good thing in the long term, but questioned whether it was right to introduce it now when the literacy programme had just got off the ground.

And his sentiments have been echoed by the Association of School Principals, who said initiatives were coming too thick and fast.

But Senator Scott said last night: "I am disappointed that the BUT are so resistant to change. Mr. Charles actually acknowledges that the new curriculum may be a good thing for the Island, and then goes on to wonder whether we should have introduced it.

"I want to make two points about the new curriculum. First, the curriculum will actually make life easier for teachers by making it absolutely clear what needs to be taught. Second, we know that teachers have a lot to cope with and we are sympathetic to their needs.

"That is why we are not requiring that the curriculum be taught immediately. Teachers have a whole year to familiarise themselves with these documents before they are formally introduced.

"As for the BUT's general concern about the pace of change - I make no apology for changing things in our education system.

"In the past, our students have been failing. We cannot accept that, and I know that teachers will agree that changes have to be made for the benefit of the students."

Sen. Scott said at the primary level, his department was concentrating on literacy.

And he said Mr. Scott was wrong to state that Government had scrapped the old literacy programme and replaced it with a new one.

The minister said: "Two years ago we invested in Literacy Place to ensure that all primary schools had literacy resources.

"Now we are going on to the next stage with a professional development programme, literacy standards and a structured lesson format - all designed to help teachers to use the Literacy Place resources more effectively."

Sen. Scott added: "What else are we doing? We are investing in computer equipment, reducing class sizes and ensuring that teachers attend school. If Mr. Charles thinks that teachers - and parents - do not welcome these changes then I think that he is wrong."

However, last night, president of the Association of School Principals Livingstone Tuzo said he had to "whole heartedly" agree with Mr. Charles and said some principals had complained that they and their staff were "overwhelmed" by all the new initiatives and demands.

He said: "I would have to agree with Mr. Charles. There is concern, there is no doubt about that.

"There is too much coming down the pipeline at the moment. Even though it's being done in the name of making a better education for our children, they have to be cognisant of the fact that teachers have to master these initiatives. People simply can't master everything at once and education will not improve in the long-term."

And he said the issue was made worse because the profession at the moment was relatively new, with lots of experienced teachers retired or retiring, and lots of newly-qualified ones coming in.

Mr. Tuzo added: "ur concern is that we are going to burn out a lot of young teachers because so much is being thrown at them."