Shadow Education Minister Grant Gibbons claimed yesterday that plans to cluster groups of public schools under one board could prove counter-productive.

The United Bermuda Party MP attended a public forum on Tuesday night which saw worried parents from St. George's Preparatory School — an aided school with its own autonomous board — quiz education chiefs about the proposal.

Dr. Gibbons said: "What the Minister or the Government is asking is that St. George's Prep give up the model that they have got and move to a cluster model which is untested and might not work.

"Effectively what the Government is doing, they are taking away control from the school level and putting it in the hands of a board that oversees four or five different schools. It may not be close enough to provide that same accountability."

The cluster plan has provoked heated debate this week about how the Island's four aided schools — St. George's, Whitney Institute Middle School, Sandys Secondary Middle School and the Berkeley Institute — could be affected.

The schools differ from other public schools in that they determine themselves how to spend their annual grant from Government.

Their boards and principals also have the power to appoint teachers, who work for the school rather than the Ministry of Education.

The principal of St. George's Prep told The Royal Gazette that board trustees were looking forward to gaining a "clearer picture" after hearing more about the plan today.

Professor David Hopkins and his team recommended grouping schools under a self-governing federation in their damning report on the public education system published a year ago.

The report said: "The review favours the appointment of boards, filled largely by election, to run schools or federations of schools, building on the current example of aided schools."

Dr. Gibbons said one of the problems that Professor Hopkins was trying to address by recommending clusters was the disparity in standards when primary school children reach middle school.

"It seems to me that you could address this with a cluster group meeting with representation from all the schools without having to take away this board or aided model which seems to be working," he said.

He said autonomous boards worked well for private schools and the aided schools. "Why not build on that? Give all of the schools a school board."

* Are you a parent, teacher or board member at one of the four aided schools? Tell us what you think. E-mail news@royalgazette.bm or call 278-0133.