An applicant for a senior post at Cedarbridge Academy and The Berkeley Institute is interviewing applicants for Cedarbridge, it was claimed yesterday.

Veteran educator Randolph Benjamin told The Royal Gazette high school teacher Carlos Symonds was acting as an interviewer.

And the Northlands deputy principal has fired off a letter to Chief Education Officer Joseph Christopher, expressing his concern.

"To date no persons have been publicly awarded any positions at either school. Therefore, I find it most unusual, unethical and compromising to use Mr. Symonds in this manner,'' he wrote.

Mr. Benjamin -- who has threatened legal action against the Education Department after he applied for one of three deputy posts at Cedarbridge Academy and was later told he had to take an aptitude test -- said the Symonds matter was another example that the Department was "dealing with people in a most unprofessional way''.

He also noted that the Department had two senior education officers, Vivlyn Cooper and Donna Daniels, who were able to help with interviews of applicants for senior posts.

"It was my understanding that their primary responsibility was to supervise principals and teachers,'' Mr. Benjamin pointed out in his letter.

"Therefore, these two individuals should be in the best position to assist/conduct the interviews for prospective administrators and teachers during the restructuring phase.

"It was obvious from the outset that (Cedarbridge principal) Mr. (Ernest) Payette would require assistance, however, I would have thought that more sensitivity and good judgment would have prevailed in who was chosen to help him in this very delicate interviewing process...'' Education Department officials and head of Berkeley's Board of Governors Calvin White declined to comment on the matter. And Mr. Symonds could not be reached for comment.

The Department was expected to announce the names of the deputy principals for the senior secondary schools yesterday despite objections by the Bermuda Union of Teachers who want to take a dispute over the Department's hiring practices to arbitration.

But when contacted yesterday, Acting Permanent Secretary Harrichand Sukdeo said: "We're not ready. There will be no announcement today.'' He would not say if appointments had been made to the deputy principal posts or when they would be announced.