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Specialised certification may soon be required for teachers

Educators could soon require specialised certification based on subjects or specific role in their school.In Friday’s Throne Speech, Government promised to bring forward amendments to the Bermuda Educators Council Act 2002, which would ensure that teachers are certified by subject or specialisation, as well as teaching and education level.“The planned amendments will mean that education at all levels, in the classroom, in administration, or both, will be required to be registered under the Act,” said Governor Sir Richard Gozney, reading the speech on behalf of Government.“Educators will have to meet the requirements relevant to the role that they are performing in schools in order to obtain and maintain educator certificates.“If principals are the gatekeepers, teachers are the front line the soul of our education system. It is they who must turn our students into scholars, excited about learning by delivering knowledge in an engaging, stimulating and motivating manner.”Mike Charles, of the Bermuda Teachers Union, said he supported the concept of the proposed amendments. I don’t have any objections to that,” he said. “We, in fact, proposed qualifications for teachers in the first place.”He said he could not foresee any difficulties implementing a more specialised certification system, noting that for the past few years all teachers have had to be licenced to teach.Also announced in the speech were plans to create an IT academy to provide local students an opportunity to receive training in the growing industry.Government were said to be in “advanced discussions” with Cisco Systems for the establishment of a Cisco Academy in Bermuda.A section of the Throne Speech read: “Information Technology is on the leading edge of job creation. There is an urgent need for training and retraining of Bermudian workers to equip them to take advantage of these opportunities.“This facility will provide certified training for Bermudians and prepare them for work in the IT industry.“This is yet another avenue the Government has worked hard to open as it continues to ensure that Bermuda’s young people are equipped to become fully-fledged members of the skilled workforce in today’s knowledge-based world economy.”