Statement by Ben Smith, Opposition Leader & Shadow Minister of Education:
During the last Parliamentary session, Education Minister, the Hon Diallo Rabain, confirmed there were significant changes in senior leadership within his ministry.
The changes include a new Permanent Secretary and Deputy Permanent Secretary, an Acting Commissioner of Education, an Acting Director of Academics, acting leadership in Student Services and Early Childhood, as well as several other appointments and vacancies.
At a time of significant education reform, that level of change naturally raises questions around continuity and institutional knowledge. But it can also represent an opportunity.
Andrew Pettit’s appointment as Permanent Secretary brings someone into Education from outside the existing education structure.
Rather than automatically viewing that as a disadvantage, it may provide an opportunity for a fresh set of eyes and a different perspective.
The question I have is whether the new Permanent Secretary will be given the authority and support to objectively examine what is working, what is not working and what needs to change.
Fresh leadership should not mean disregarding the knowledge of our teachers, principals and education professionals. Their experience must be central to improving the system. But neither should experience or longstanding relationships prevent us from challenging structures and practices that are not producing the outcomes our students need.
The proposed Education Authority makes this moment even more important.
If Parliament agrees to establish a new Authority, it must represent more than a new name, a new board and a rearrangement of existing positions.
There will undoubtedly be people within the existing education system whose experience and expertise could be valuable to a new Authority. We should not exclude good people simply because they have worked within the current system.
But neither should the Authority become a destination where the same leadership and the same approaches are simply transferred into a new organisation.
Appointments to the Authority must be transparent and based on merit, relevant expertise, independence of thought and, above all, the ability to contribute to better educational outcomes. Political connections or familiarity with the existing system cannot be substitutes for those qualities.
That is why Bermuda should pay close attention not only to the structure of the proposed Authority, but also to who is appointed, how they are selected and what experience and skills they bring.
We have spent years discussing and restructuring education. Teachers have experienced repeated change, parents have faced uncertainty and our students ultimately live with the consequences.
This is an opportunity for a genuine reset. We should retain the best knowledge and experience within our education system while bringing in new expertise, independent thinking and a willingness to challenge the status quo.
A new Education Authority will mean very little if we simply change the organisational chart without changing the outcomes.
The test for every appointment should ultimately be simple:
Is this the best person to help deliver better education for Bermuda’s children?
