Parents attending forums on education have called for teachers to be drug tested, according to a Board of Education document released this week.

But forums -- held in schools across the Island in February -- also said schools should have the same facilities and should receive regular maintenance.

The village meetings asked those attending to envisage what the public education system should look like and the results were collected and given to the Board of Education.

People also wanted to see school cafeterias and equal access to programmes in all schools in the public system.

Attendees called for more standardisation in schools' infrastructure and facilities and that schools should receive regular preventative maintenance.

And there should be a curriculum that gets children to a level that they can enter the Bermuda College or other university or college.

Teachers should be expected to be drug tested and the retirement age should be lowered to 55 years, in addition to having input at the Department of Education level in projects and decision making.

Businesses should assist schools in career development and make people more aware of the academic requirements needed to get jobs, and their staff should give more time to schools rather than money.

Parents should also give more time to the system, be able to choose the school they want their child to attend and there should be no zoning.

Such things as homework, timetables, and schedules should be given to parents before the school year begins and governing school boards for each school would assist education.

Attendees also called for Government Members of Parliament to visit schools and sit in on classes and "people should talk positively about the public school system as they do the private school system''.

For the full text of the Education Month report, see Monday's Royal Gazette .