The Education Ministry is deliberately keeping quiet on the starting date of classes at the Island's first alternative school.

And neither the Bermuda Union of Teachers nor the Association of School Principals have been kept abreast of the staff, curriculum, and other details relating to the school.

Known as the Centre for Adolescent Development, Education and Training or CADET, the alternative school is expected to open this month at Warwick Camp.

But despite inviting the media to tour the facility with him earlier this week, Education Minister Jerome Dill has refused to reveal when classes will begin.

Educators have advised him that releasing that information before it takes place and allowing interviews during the early days of the school would not be in the best interests of students, Mr. Dill said.

"I'm being advised by educators who are very concerned about the opening day or in fact the initial period,'' he stressed. "The best thing for the children is to have them operating in as normal an environment as possible.

"It will be difficult for some as they are being transferred from their regular schools to a new environment.'' While expressing appreciation for publicity about the school thus far, Mr.

Dill said: "Based on the advice from educators, with respect to the first day of classes, that should be as low key as possible.'' However, the Education Ministry's cloak of secrecy has also left the BUT and ASP in the dark.

BUT president Michael Charles said the union knew as much -- or as little -- as the media about CADET.

"We have always talked about the need for an alternative school,'' he said.

"In fact we can take credit for it. We approached the Minister shortly after he took over two years ago and stressed the importance of this.

"We are happy to see something finally being done. However, we don't know what will be done because we have not been involved in the setting up of the alternative school.'' Mr. Charles said the union also did not know who will teach at the school.

Concerning the entire running of the school, he added: "We are in the dark like anyone else. This seems to be a unique situation. We have to wait and see, like everybody else, what will happen. Hopefully, it will go well.'' Mr. Charles stressed it was important that the school benefited the students.

"Our interest is in the children of Bermuda,'' he said. "It should go some way to alleviate the problem.'' Echoing similar sentiments ASP president Livingston Tuzo said: "We're glad it's on line.

"It is something that the ASP has been trumpeting. We hope it will help us address some of those many issues are children are facing. But we need more information.'' Since receiving an overview of the alternative school from senior education officer of Student Services Joeann Smith last December, the ASP has not been told about the school.

Mr. Tuzo said: "We're outside the loop. We only know what you know.

"We don't know who the teachers will be, the ratio of male to female teachers, whether there will be a counsellor, what the curriculum entails or the criteria for choosing the pupils. And as far as I know nothing has been said to any of my colleagues.'' Editorial: Page 4