Government is committed to making Berkeley Institute's planned senior school facility comparable to CedarBridge Academy.

Education Minister Jerome Dill stressed this yesterday after the chairman of Berkeley's board of governors told The Royal Gazette he was concerned that funding for the second senior school project may not be available.

With Government having spent more than $60 million to open CedarBridge this year and Berkeley's plans to have a new state-of-the-art school on the Ridgeway property opposite the school by December 15, 2000, Mr. White said: "My concern is that Government will find themselves hard pressed to find the funds to do Berkeley the way it should be done, having spent as much as they have at CedarBridge.'' He also pointed out that Berkeley was an aided school which meant that Government was not necessarily obligated to fund all of its operating expenses. But, he noted, with a maintained school such as CedarBridge, Government had to provide funding.

While agreeing with this and understanding Mr. White's concern, Mr. Dill yesterday said: "As we go forward we could not possibly expect Berkeley to raise the amount of money it is going to take them to build a new school.

"And that is not an obligation which we are imposing on them.'' "Berkeley is yet another major undertaking,'' he added. "But it is one which the United Bermuda Party Government is prepared to undertake because we are committed to the education of our young people.'' Asked whether or not funds will be available for the Berkeley project, Mr.

Dill said: "It is not as if Berkeley Institute approached Government ...

We in the Government approached Berkeley and said we see what you're trying to do on that particular site. We appreciate it. This is what we think. So we then made a number of recommendations and suggestions to Berkeley which Berkeley has now accepted. We are committed to making this thing work.'' Mr. Dill also pointed out: "A failure of Berkeley would be as catastrophic to us as a failure of any other school in the public school system. That is just not something which we are prepared to allow happen.

"So, together, there's no question in mind that this Government in conjunction and in connection with Berkeley will move forward together and ensure that we have at Berkeley a comparable facility with CedarBridge.''