school reforms, Education Minister the Hon. Clarence Terceira said yesterday.

There were major changes to many Government boards and commissions when 1994 appointments were announced on New Year's Eve. But nowhere was there more turnover than on the Board of Education.

Longtime chairman Mr. Vincent John has stepped aside along with six other members. The only familiar faces remaining are Deputy Chairman Mrs. Ann Dunstan, Mr. Jeremy Johnson, Mrs. Vera Mills, and Lady Swan.

New faces include chairman Mr. Trevor Moniz MP, Mr. Glen Gibbons, Mrs. Debbie Graham, Mrs. Judy Masters, and Mr. Gil Tucker.

"If you confine it to the same people, you don't get those fresh ideas, the fresh approach, and you don't get it widespread enough for the new people to get the experience,'' Dr. Terceira told The Royal Gazette yesterday.

The outgoing members -- some of whom served 20 or 25 years -- did "yeoman's service,'' he said.

Dr. Terceira met with them all and said major changes were planned. "Some of them said to me, `I've been here 20 years, I don't mind if I come off'.'' The Minister said he always tried to limit his own board terms to five years.

"You need people with experience, but you need to bring in fresh blood all the time,'' he said.

The new board is to meet for the first time on January 22. Much of the board's work dealt with scholarships, awards, and loans, but it had also served as "a sounding board'' for changes like the education reforms, he said.

Now, "I want them to be a bit of a watchdog on the restructuring programme itself.'' Government's multi-million-dollar reform plan involves creation of Middle Schools and construction of a new Senior Secondary School at Prospect.

Dr. Terceira said he also wanted the board to take a fresh look at scholarships and awards.

Mrs. Marian Askia of the National PTA said her group dealt directly with the Minister and had little contact with the Board of Education.

But in monitoring the education reforms, "any help from an outside group would be welcome,'' she said.

"If those people are going to put a fire under whatever needs to have a fire put under it, then we would be with them.'' Dr. Terceira said this would be the first time a backbench MP chaired the Board of Education. He expected Mr. Moniz to help him with education matters in Parliament.

"My own view of the use of backbenchers is that they should be attached to Ministries to give them an inside view of what is going on,'' he said.