secondary school system.

Dr. Archibald Hallett called the Bermuda Secondary School Certificate (BSSC) "meaningless''.

And he said it was upsetting how many high school graduates were "functionally illiterate''.

Dr. Hallett claimed high school students were not given enough guidance in selecting their courses.

"Many college applicants appeared to have chosen classes at random with no regard for the admission requirements of overseas colleges,'' he said, noting that as much as one third of the college budget is spent on correcting the problem.

Giving his "personal opinions'' of the college and education in Bermuda to Hamilton Rotarians at their weekly luncheon, Dr. Hallett said the state of the Island's secondary schools was having an adverse effect on the college.

"High schools have failed to progress in the same manner as the college,'' he said.

Dr. Hallett said that now he was retired he could be more candid about the present situation in Bermuda's schools. He served as president of the college for 15 years before standing down earlier this year.

He praised the boards of governors he worked with, saying members gave the college and its programmes a lot of support.

And he also complimented his "dedicated and loyal'' staff and said without them, nothing could have been achieved -- including the college's transformation and upgrading over the past few years.

"The results are now visible to all,'' he said. Graduates of the college are "well-received'' at overseas institutions, "strive for achievement'', and are "good citizens''.

He pointed out that the Adult Education Programme was another of the college's "success stories'', with roughly 3,000 individuals registering each year.

The programme, he said, allowed employed adults to obtain qualifications without having to quit their jobs or leave Bermuda.

Dr. Hallett recalled how one of the biggest problems facing the college when he became president was the public perception that because it was in Bermuda, it was inferior to overseas institutions.

A similar opinion, he said, was held by local secondary school officials.

"But the situation is now changing,'' he told Rotarians.

Dr. Hallett said school principals and members of the general public were realising just how much the college could offer.

On the down side, however, Dr. Hallett said the BSSC was useless to the college in assessing a student who had applied for admission.

Instead of having three different certificates -- business, academic and general -- he said each student received the same certificate regardless of the difficulty factor of the subjects chosen.

Noting there was constant need for many college applicants to undergo a college preparatory programme due to incomplete prerequisites, he called for high school students to be better prepared.

If not, he charged Bermuda could educationally lose a large portion of its "already small pool of youth''.

Dr. Hallett concluded by giving his opinion on Government's plans to restructure secondary schools: "In no country has restructuring improved illiteracy. Reform should deal with the classroom process.'' He warned "Bermuda's economy is at risk'' if changes are not put in place to better educate its youngsters.