Expanding skills of school counsellors, reviewing certification of teachers and introducing specialised programmes for boys are some of the things the Ministry of Education will focus on for this year.

Yesterday's Throne Speech also pledged to develop a policy framework to help young black men succeed, in light of the Mincy study released earlier this week.

Implementing Portuguese into the public school system was also announced and met with praise from the Portuguese community.

Portuguese community leader Eddie DeMello was happy with the announcement and said: "I think it's a good idea. I think it's really long overdue. I am sure it will be a good thing. After all, everyone feels that Portuguese is a second language anyway so it's certainly good news."

The points were outlined in the Throne Speech read by Governor Sir Richard Gozney and although the speech did not go into details about the reforms, a press conference will be held on Monday by Education Minister El James where additional information will be given.

The speech said the ministry would focus on:

— Expanding and honing the skills of existing school counsellors to include the provision of skilled career guidance to better prepare students for careers in Bermuda's economy;

— Implementing specialised instruction for boys throughout the public school system recognising the special needs of this particular group and their learning requirements; and

— Reviewing the certification of teachers to ensure that the process and criteria match the rigour demanded of a system in transition to marked improvement.

Last night Shadow Education Minister Grant Gibbons said: "It's difficult to comment at this stage on Government's list of [education] intentions because there's nothing concrete.

"Government needs to spell out in detail how their ideas will work in practice, and why the community should believe that they will be successful and not turn out like many other education initiatives that are started by the Government with great fanfare and then later quietly discarded."

In the Throne Speech, Sir Richard also said: "The adoption of the Cambridge International Curriculum provides a unique opportunity to further strengthen the cultural ties that bind us in Bermuda. As a result, the 2010/2011 school year will see the introduction of instruction of Portuguese in the public school system of Bermuda."

Earlier this week the report called 'A study of Employment, Earnings, and Educational Gaps Between Young Black Bermudian Males and their Same-Age Peers' by Professor Ronald Mincy was released.

It highlighted 'soft skills' such as punctuality, adhering to rules and listening to authority as one of the many reasons behind young black men's attitudes.

Yesterday, the Throne Speech said: "The Government will develop a policy framework around addressing gaps identified and equipping our young black men for success in this economy.