The Education Ministry will ignore auditors' suggestion that the teachers' mentor programme be scrapped.

"Bermuda's teacher induction programme continues to be a success in the introduction and induction of teachers,'' Education Minister Jerome Dill told Members of Parliament during the four-hour Budget debate yesterday.

"Anybody who knows anything about education would have been shocked by a recommendation that the mentor programme cease. Auditors did not speak to the mentors and their students (teachers). But we're satisfied that our mentors do a significant job.'' Mr. Dill was referring to the unprecedented audit on the public school system carried out in 1996 by a team led by associate professor of educational administration at Iowa State University William Poston.

The audit team pointed to a slew of deficiencies in the system and listed 15 recommendations.

In the $45,000 report's second recommendation, the following is stated: "The mentor teacher programme was found to be well-intended, but its benefits were not clear to the auditors or others.

"Interviews revealed scepticism about using the number of personnel dedicated to assisting so few teachers in orientation to the Ministry educational system.

"This function might be better served with a staff development position assigned to providing orientation and transition support to new teachers Islandwide.

"Five or six mentor teachers working individually did not appear to be an effective use of manpower, and these resources are recommended for reassignment.

"However,'' the reported continued, "if there is concrete assessment information (the auditors found none) verifying a strong level of improved instructional performance that could be documented as resulting from this programme, a part of it may be worth keeping.

"Given the lack of any documentation of results, this programme is not established as practical and suitable.'' But Mr. Dill told his Parliamentary colleagues: "That is one recommendation that the auditors made that we should not go along with, nor do we believe the Country or the Opposition does.'' Mr. Dill also admitted that a Government report to update the public on progress made in education since the audit was "overdue''.

Last May when the audit report was officially released, Mr. Dill noted that the Premier had appointed an audit committee -- consisting of Ministers for Finance, Works and Engineering, Transport, Youth Development, and Education -- to "prioritise and work through the recommendations''.

He said he expected the committee to meet every two weeks and make quarterly progress reports.

And he said he planned to produce a document outlining the areas in which the Ministry disagreed with the audit team's findings.

But when contacted in his Ohio office yesterday, Mr. Poston stood by his team's findings.

He told The Royal Gazette they had interviewed some of the mentors.

"We asked what their duties and responsibilities were and how they spent their time,'' he told The Royal Gazette . "We then asked teachers about the programme. The recommendation was based on feedback we got from faculty, staff and administrators. That was a fairly reasonable and thought out recommendation.

"Our recommendations are grounded in findings and findings are based on data and evidence found. I feel confident that all those recommendations were based on findings.

"I understand that the client has the right to reject. But those recommendations were based on triangulated findings. And the findings were that it (the mentor programme) was not as effective as it was meant to be.'' Opposition Leader and Shadow Education Minister Jennifer Smith later told The Royal Gazette she did not believe the auditors' recommendation was calling the programme bad, but was simply stating that it could be conducted better.

She also pointed out that while the mentor programme had helped some teachers, she believed mentors should be based at schools rather than at the Ministry.

A new teacher will run into problems throughout the school day and would feel comfortable seeking the help of a senior teacher who he or she could identify with, Ms Smith explained.

"We think they can identify people to be mentors at each facility (school),'' she added. "Site-based mentors will also give teachers an incentive. They can be paid an extra stipend.'' Ministry of Education 1998/99 estimates Ministry responsibility: To ensure that the youth of Bermuda receive adequate educational opportunities.

Budget estimate: $75,881,000 (last year $68,920,000) Revenue: $91,000 Budget allocations Ministry of Education HQ $3,606,000 Department of Education $61,660,000 Bermuda College $10,615,000