El James was reappointed Education Minister yesterday little more than a month after he lost the Cabinet post for publicly calling on the Premier to resign.

Mr. James was sworn-in by Governor Sir Richard Gozney at a 9 a.m. ceremony at Government House to which the media was not invited.

He takes his old job back from Attorney General Kim Wilson, who acted as caretaker Minister.

The 59-year-old politician, a former private and public schoolteacher who first became Education Minister in November, told the House of Assembly on July 10 that Premier Ewart Brown should step down, after several public protests about his leadership.

"No man is bigger than this party," the Warwick North Central MP said. "I have listened to my constituents say: 'Where is your backbone? Where is your spine? We put you in there and what are you doing?'."

Mr. James told The Royal Gazette he was too busy to comment last night, but speaking on ZBM television news he said he and Dr. Brown had talked and come to an understanding.

"If I have any issues we will deal with them within the party," said Mr. James. "At the moment we are working as a team. There is only one person that can appoint to Cabinet. We have been talking. This is what we have decided. He [Dr. Brown] has shown he can offer the olive branch. I obliged and said yes."

Earlier in the day, Dr. Brown answered a question on the topic at a press conference.

He said: "It was a matter of sitting down on multiple occasions.

"I believe the differences have been worked out. I believe I have the support of everybody in the Cabinet. That is not to say there will not be differences."

The Cabinet Office issued a press release about the reappointment yesterday lunchtime, quoting Dr. Brown as saying: "I welcome Minister James back to Cabinet.

"Over the course of the last several weeks he and I have been in discussions about his willingness to serve in my Cabinet.

"We have agreed that there is much work to do and that he should continue with the work in education that he has started.

"I continue to have high expectations for Minister James and I know that he appreciates the urgent need for improvements to our education system and I will look to him to make those tough choices as required in the weeks and months ahead."

The statement quoted Mr. James as saying: "I enjoyed being in Cabinet and welcomed the challenge posed by the much needed reforms in education. I look forward to rejoining the team and continuing the good work that was begun during my tenure. The reform of Bermuda's education system is critical to the continued success of our Island."

Bermuda Union of Teachers (BUT) welcomed the news — though it found out Mr. James was back in charge from the media, rather than the Ministry of Education.

General secretary Mike Charles said: "He was someone that we did work with quite successfully for the time that he was there. We are pleased to see that he is back and hopefully it will bring some kind of settlement back to the Ministry. "Once he left, everything was in limbo. At least now we know we have a full-time Minister back we can get back on with the work at hand."

Board of Education chairman Mark Byrne said the executive body — which was appointed by Mr. James in March to drive the overhaul of the public school system — was pleased to see him back. "We have a strong working relationship with Minister James and considerable shared vision," said Mr. Byrne. "Consistency of vision and strategy is especially valuable at a time when the school system is undergoing change on several fronts. We wish the Minister well with the critical and challenging portfolio."

Mr. James became the seventh Education Minister under the PLP Government when he replaced Randy Horton in November. Shadow Education Minister Grant Gibbons said the Opposition welcomed him back "because it may bring back some degree of accountability to a critical portfolio that desperately needs it".

The UBP MP added: "Over the last ten years, the PLP Government has failed to exercise effective and stable leadership in public education.

"The fact that they have shuffled through seven ministers indicates they have not really been focused on doing their utmost to provide our children with the tools and conditions to succeed."

Dr. Gibbons said it was hard to understand how Mr. James could "quit the Cabinet over Dr. Brown's leadership" only to return to the same job. "After all, on July 10 he gave a passionate speech calling for Dr. Brown's resignation. We're not sure what has changed for Mr. James."

Sir Richard told this newspaper he swore in Mr. James at 9 a.m. after signing an instrument relieving Sen. Wilson of her temporary role. The Governor said: "Previously ahead of a swearing-in of a new Minister or Ministers, Cabinet Office have asked DCI (the Department of Communication and Information) to alert the media. I do not know why they did not do so on this occasion."

A Government spokeswoman did not respond to a question about why the media was not notified about the ceremony.