Education officials will select candidates for top posts in the new public school system based on past performances, Education Minister Jerome Dill revealed yesterday.

Speaking after the Education Ministry and Bermuda Union of Teachers signed a resolution ending a three-month dispute over the Ministry's new hiring practices, Mr. Dill told The Royal Gazette his Ministry was anxious to move forward with the selection process.

The Ministry and the BUT locked horns last September when education officials told applicants for top teaching positions -- including three deputy principal posts at the Island's upcoming senior secondary school at Prospect -- that they would have to complete a standardised test and personality profile to be considered.

The BUT -- along with Northlands Secondary deputy principal Randolph Benjamin, who was one of 17 people who applied for the posts at Cedarbridge Academy -- called for the tests to be scrapped, complaining they were given insufficient notice about the tests and questioning the Ministry's motives.

The union also filed a grievance against Education Permanent Secretary Marion Robinson and Chief Education Officer Joseph Christopher, accusing them of breaching the Collective Bargaining Agreement and teachers' terms and conditions of employment.

But the Ministry maintained that the tests, from Personnel Services, were one of several tools it was using to select the most suitable candidates for the posts.

Last December, as the two sides were scheduled to go to arbitration over the matter, the Ministry agreed to forfeit arbitration and talk with the BUT through a combined consultative committee.

That committee's talks wrapped up yesterday.

Both parties agreed that results from the tests will be discarded and those who applied to the top posts will now be selected based on their past performances, curriculum vitae, and past evaluations.

But Mr. Dill said the Education Ministry planned to use aptitude tests in future hiring cases.

"Tests like the aptitude test, which are really no more than an objective assessment of the people being interviewed, will be used in the future,'' he stressed. "They are used extensively in the private sector and other Government departments.

"But the agreement we made is confined to this case, so we can move forward for the children. Every day that we are delayed adversely affects the education of our children.'' While Mr. Dill "anticipated'' that Mr. Benjamin will be interviewed by the Cedarbridge board of governors, he said: "The principle issue now is to get on with interviewing people.

"We are already significantly prejudiced by the amount of time it has taken to do this.'' However, BUT president Michael Charles said the delay was the fault of the Ministry, not the union and Mr. Benjamin.

"We had never wanted to stand in the way of this procedure,'' he said. "It could have been resolved back in September. It took an entire month for them (education officials) to come to terms with what we were trying to say. I think we have been vindicated.'' Mr. Charles added neither the union nor the teachers it represented were against testing.

"As long as the testing is relevant and we are consulted on the procedures, we have no qualms,'' he said. "We only hope that consultation will take place on any change in procedure.

"Hopefully this thing will move along smoothly and the restructuring process will proceed. I hope whatever they do will be in the best interest of the students.'' The BUT is expected to release an official statement with the Association of School Principals shortly.

Meanwhile, Mr. Benjamin said he believed the new selection criteria was "very fair''.

"I hope this means that I will be interviewed,'' he added. "This is my livelihood. Since 1991, whatever I've done in my professional life has been to prepare myself to be a part of the senior school.

"I'm looking forward to being interviewed. But I want to know that there's going to be objectivity, fairness, honesty, and integrity. If I feel those criteria have been met, I will have no problem accepting whatever decision is made.''