A parliamentary select committee tasked with reviewing the implementations of the Hopkins Report has yet to table its report, more than a year after the committee was created.

The Joint Select Committee (JSC) on education began meeting in October 2008 and is the first parliamentary committee to ever hold its meetings in public.

It aimed to produce a report by November of that year.

The cross-party committee held weekly meetings, which included presentations by various education bodies including the Bermuda Union of Teachers (BUT).

Its chairman is Culture Minister Neletha Butterfield and deputy chairman is Telecommunications Minister Michael Scott. Shadow Education Minister Grant Gibbons was also a member.

But a report from the committee on how successful ten key recommendations in the Hopkins Report have been implemented has yet to be tabled.

The 2007 Hopkins Report was the result of an investigation into the state of the public education system. The report described it as "being on the brink of meltdown". It has been argued that little improvement has been made since.

Among the report's recommendations: Government should implement an internationally recognised curriculum, improve the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom and strengthen leadership, in order to effect change.

Myron Piper, the education spokesman for the Bermuda Democratic Alliance, yesterday questioned the validity of the committee.

"Does the JSC still exist and if so what was the result of their findings and what is their mandate going forward? This was a bipartisan effort in order to help solve the issues surrounding the education meltdown a noble initiative by the Government, yet there is no follow-up action plan."

He continued: "Scepticism over the ability for this Government's ability to deliver continues to build. Government's report from the JSC's review on education has not been tabled and the committee seems to have quietly disappeared into obscurity. It seems whenever Government cannot gain a political advantage from the results of its initiatives it suppresses the results.

"It is time to call to task the ineffective leadership of the present Minister Elvin James and Commissioner of Education Wendy McDonell who continue to hold the top paid posts in education without any form of accountability and yet have the audacity to espouse that principals and teachers will be held accountable.

"Once again a failure of this Government to act on information procured, as we do with all the consultancy reports we have received to date. Yet, we continue to look to hire more consultants as Premier [Ewart] Brown announced last week with the Teach First programme." The successful UK initiative puts top university graduates in challenging schools to improve the quality of teaching.

Dr. Gibbons admitted the committee had not met in "a while".

"The last time the committee met, the drafting of a report was authorised and instructions were given to prepare a report. I am not sure where the matter stands at the present time.

"You need to ask [Mrs. Butterfield] because Government is effectively in charge of the committee as they have the majority of members and they provide the chair and deputy chair.

"I think there is a continuing role in the JSC because you need a body that essentially can review the progress from the Hopkins Report."

Ms Butterfield referred this newspaper to the committee's secretary Shernette Wolffe, who did not respond.

The JSC committee also included Government Whip Lovitta Foggo, Senator Walton Brown, former UBP MP Jon Brunson and Shadow Sports Minister Charlie Swan.