Sir John Swan has resumed his call for a public boarding school to save Island children who are at risk of failing to succeed in life.

The former Premier reiterated his position on the subject following a speech by his close friend General Colin Powell to Bermuda's business elite on Monday.

During that speech, the retired United States Army General called on local business leaders to not sit on their success and instead share their time and talent with children who had not achieved success yet.

Gen. Powell said it was imperative that children be helped as the world was rapidly changing and they would need the necessary skills to compete in it.

Sir John noted: "Gen. Powell's speech was on a theme that I have written extensively about, i.e. the profound implications of the rapidly changing world and the need to adequately prepare our children to keep pace with the changes.

"Doors of opportunity are opening for people in places where doors were closed and where doors did not exist. Our education system has to prepare our children so that they can take advantage of these opportunities.'' Sir John said at risk children, in particular, had to be helped and as the Island's teachers and principals were not trained to deal with them, creative ideas such as public boarding schools needed to be considered.

Such a school would have to be carefully planned, he said, and would have to be staffed by specially trained administrators and teachers. It should be modelled after the best overseas private boarding schools and be a free part of the existing school system, he added.

Sir John's idea has been criticised as being too expensive but he pointed out yesterday: "It makes sense spending money on the end to educate these young men rather than the back end to imprison them.

"We contend that if the overall education standards of our children were raised, there would be a corresponding drop in our prison population.'' And the costs of establishing a public boarding school need to be put in perspective, argued Sir John.

"The taxpayers of this country are paying $14,333 per annum (compared to $4,500 in Massachusetts) or $5,000 more than the highest fees charged by private schools in Bermuda.

"Moreover, we spend over $40,000 to keep one prisoner per annum, the prisons are full and the majority of prisoners are functionally illiterate.'' He also pointed to "a grim litany of social facts'' which highlighted the need for new educational ideas.

Sir John noted: "Because today's young people are having babies at an ever-younger age, today's students have parents who are barely more than school age themselves.

"A tremendous number of the school age youngsters live in a household headed by one parent, a mother. Many of these young mothers are rearing their children without the support of their families. It's increasingly rare for parents in public schools to be involved in their children's education.

"Dr. (Donald) Peters, former Vice-President of Bermuda College, estimates that 70 percent of public school graduates are functionally illiterate, innumerate or wanting in other rudimentary academic and social skills.

"Many youngsters, particularly black males, fail to qualify for the worthwhile kind of job they want. This failure leads us to many of our young men getting involved in our criminal justice system and end up being incarcerated.'' He stressed that new education initiatives were needed to combat the problems and prevent children from experiencing hardships instead of opportunity''.

"For the sake of such children and for the sake of Bermuda,'' said Sir John, "we must do whatever we have to do to educate these children. We must not spare any effort in preparing young people to feel confident and worthwhile, ready to take on an adult role in society.''