The Education Ministry reiterated its promise that no teachers will lose their jobs as a result of restructuring.

Senior Manager of Human Resources at the Ministry Ray Latter confirmed that scale posts for deputy principals and department heads of middle schools were being advertised internally.

"We will be selecting them over the next couple of months,'' he said.

And Mr. Latter noted that middle school teaching posts will be internally advertised at the beginning of January.

The posts are part of Government's plan to next year convert five high schools into middle schools and to open the Island's first senior secondary school at Prospect.

And while the reforms are a year away, fears and rumours that education officials and principals will use the opportunity to displace teachers who they do not like continue to circulate.

But Mr. Latter yesterday stressed: "We are reshuffling or relocating teachers from one post to another. We are giving each teacher the opportunity to apply for any post. We have already given teachers our guarantee that no teachers will lose their jobs due to restructuring.'' However, he admitted that if enrolment declined in schools, less teachers would be needed.

Bermuda Union of Teachers organiser Milton Scott told The Royal Gazette the organisation had an attorney looking into the Ministry's method of redeploying staff.

"Some teachers may want to go for the new posts, but some may want to exercise their right not to,'' Sen. Scott said. "We just want to ensure that individuals are fully appraised of their rights.'' Sen. Scott added that he last met with the BUT attorney, who he declined to name, about three weeks ago.

"They (teachers) are very much concerned,'' he stressed. "We've done this as a preventive measure so it does not come down to the wires.''