Shadow Education Minister Tim Smith last night called for Government to set up an official school inspection body in a bid to ensure teachers and principals met high standards.

The Opposition Minister also said the performance of every school on the Island should be measured and published in the media to encourage staff to raise their aims when it came to exam results, attendance, discipline and parental involvement.

Mr. Smith spoke out after Bermuda College vice president Dr. Donald Peters accused Government of providing a sub-standard public education system.

Dr. Peters has called for the Education Ministry to be closed down and schools given independence to run themselves after claiming that 70 percent of students who applied to do courses at the college did not meet the necessary requirements.

And he said many 16-year-olds were graduating with the ability of 13-year-olds.

Yesterday, Mr. Smith said he believed all of the ingredients for a good education system were in place, but there were inconsistencies in the standards being met by schools. He said a school inspection division should be set up to go into schools, monitor teaching practices, look at results and graduation rates and pupil behaviour and then offer stern advice.

It would result in schools being given clear guidelines and goals to aim for and would ensure that every school and member of staff was working toward the same objective, he added.

And he said, as a result of the inspections, their performance could be measured and then released to the public.

But he said not only should the performance of children and teachers be recorded, but also that of parents and how much involvement they had in the running of the school and their children's education.

He said: "I am not into penalising, criticising or fixing blame onto anyone, but I do believe that more needs to be done to harness the capabilities of pupils and school staff on the Island.

"I think we have a significant number of committed, dedicated and qualified teachers and principals and that too much attention is paid to those who under-perform. An education re-birth is needed, not a revolution. Success within schools at the moment is inconsistent. We need to motivate staff, give them clear direction and help them to reach the standards that are in place.

Inspecting schools regularly would help to do that.'' He said teachers should be licensed and schools given the independence to run themselves with support and guidance offered by school boards. But greater checks were needed to ensure schools performed all the time, and not just some of the time.

Last night, General Secretary of the Bermuda Union of Teachers, Michael Charles, said the union and teachers would welcome an inspection body that would offer them direction, give them a common goal and witness the difficulties they have.

But he accused the UBP of acting too late in the day: "It's funny Mr. Smith did not leave that legacy behind. It's unfortunate somebody who was in a position to do all these things in the past never did them.'' But Acting Education Minister Nelson Bascome said a Curriculum Steering Committee was formed by teaching experts, including the union, principals, College and Ministry, to enhance the curriculum, set standards and ensure they are adhered to.

If you have an opinion please contact Karen Smith at 295-5881 ext. 260.