Class not race is what divides our public and private sector students, according to UBP Senator Charles Swan.

Speaking on the Education budget in the Senate, Mr. Swan said more needed to be done to bridge the gap between the two systems.

One thing that would help would be the implementation of the Hopkins Report recommendations, but Mr. Swan, said he had not been given enough information.

He said: "There's a big difference between our private schools system and public. Private and public are still segregated, but not by race but by class.

"It also widens the gap between the haves and the have-nots. The fact is that we do not have a functioning education system."

"In 2007 we employed Mr. Hopkins to do a report and last week our Junior Minister did give us an update. There are examinations underway.

"It's not easy or straightforward but I would have expected by now to have seen or heard more today about what things the Board is doing.

"I have a copy of the report and I would like someone in the Government to show where it can be accessed in its entirety."

Senator Wayne Caines said the public could access it in its entirety on the Government's website, www.gov.bm.

This newspaper could not find the document online, however, and Communications Consultant Scott Simmons said it was not online but they were working on it.

Mr. Swan did say he was happy to see almost $1.4 million being spent on training teachers, which was one of the recommendations.

PLP Senator Walton Brown read the education brief, which he condensed from the four and a half-hour report to the House of Assembly by Education Minister Randy Horton, to 45 minutes.

Indicating that one way the budget would be spent on the recommendations made in last year's report, Mr. Brown said the curriculum budget was increasing by $345,000 or 13 percent more than last year.

He added that $166,000 would be spent on salary increases and $179,000 would be spent on resources, materials, school-based programmes and school-based outreach programmes.

"Instruction focuses on how content is delivered, but curriculum focuses on what that content is all about," he said. "Curriculum is one of the most critical areas of education, walking in tandem with instruction.

"The review of public education cited an unevenness in the delivery of the curriculum. One interpretation of that statement is that our schools, although they have access to the same curriculum, do not all teach the same parts of the curriculum.

"We are working to improve that in a number of ways because our children absolutely must have enriching experiences in school.

"One is the formulation of an essential curriculum — a guide, if you will, that leaves no doubt as to what specific areas from our very rich curriculum must be taught, assessed and the rigour required to maximise learning.

"The second step that we are taking is to require an audit of the local curriculum.

"Over time, the Ministry has reviewed and revised its curriculum in light of a number of factors, including the implementation of Performance Standards, changes in technology, and the different learning modalities of our students."

UBP Senator Gina Spence-Farmer added that the entire effort could not be placed on Government, however, and more need to be done by the parents.

She said: "I always believe that the Government cannot do it all. The parents need to take by force the education of their children.

"Fight for it and make it the priority. They need to get more actively involved."