The Bermuda Union of Teachers will not support the hiring of a foreign principal for the upcoming senior secondary school.

BUT general secretary Sen. Milton Scott told The Royal Gazette there was no need for "any non-Bermudian principal to be in any school in this Island''.

He was responding to comments made by Education Minister the Hon. Clarence Terceira last week when he announced the members of the senior school's interim board of governors.

One of the main task of the board would be to select a principal for the school which will be able to accommodate some 1,200 students, Dr. Terceira said.

And last December he confirmed that the principal was not expected to be a Bermudian.

It was likely a head teacher from abroad with experience of working in a large school will be appointed, he said.

"From what I understand the Bermuda Union of Teachers realises and agrees that the first principal will probably not be Bermudian as we would like to get someone with specific expertise with this size of school,'' Dr. Terceira told the Mid-Ocean News.

"But the deputy principal will be Bermudian with the idea that he or she will train to eventually take over that position.'' Dr. Terceira also said he wanted the principal hired "as soon as possible'' so that he or she could become acquainted with the restructured education system and the senior school before it opened in September, 1997.

But Mr. Scott said two years was sufficient time to allow a competent principal to receive training through an attachment with a school abroad of the same size.

"There is no need for them to go abroad looking for a principal,'' he said.

Noting that Government had steadily cut the Education Ministry's training budget over the last four years, Mr. Scott said "by doing that they left a void.

"They have two years before that school (senior secondary school) is on line and there is doubt that it will be on line then. There is plenty of time to ensure that a Bermudian is ready to fill that post.'' Shadow Education Minister Ms Jennifer Smith echoed similar sentiments.

She said it was wrong for Dr. Terceira or the board to assume there were no qualified Bermudians for the post without drawing up a job description and looking for suitable Bermudian candidates both here and abroad.

"To have the Education Ministry itself overlook Bermudians certainly justifies feelings young people have about alienation in school,'' she said.

Neither Dr. Terceira, who was off the Island, nor Association of School Principals president Mr. Livingston Tuzo were available for comment.