Part one of a series by Diallo Rabain, Minister of Education
When we talk about establishing an Education Authority, it is very easy for the conversation to become consumed by structures, boards, appointments and legislation.
But that is not where I believe the conversation should begin.
It should begin with our children.
For many years, Bermuda has debated how best to improve public education. Governments change. Ministers change. Priorities can change. Yet transforming an education system is long-term work. It requires consistency, sustained leadership and the ability to make decisions based on what is best for students rather than the political pressures of the moment.
That is the fundamental reason for establishing the Education Authority.
The legislation creates an autonomous statutory body responsible for functions assigned to it under the Act. It establishes a Board responsible for the governance of the Authority and the general management of its affairs.
Put more simply, we are creating a permanent institution whose job is to focus on public education.
Education must outlast political cycles
During discussions on the Authority, I have repeatedly made the point that reforming a school system takes years.
Our own explanatory material describes the objective as creating “a system that outlasts political cycles”, with an Authority operating at arm’s length from those cycles.
That does not mean elected governments stop being accountable for education.
Nor does it mean that the Education Authority becomes a private organisation. It remains a publicly funded body operating within legislation and subject to extensive public accountability.
What changes is where the day-to-day responsibility for running public education ultimately sits.
That distinction matters.
The Minister should be concerned with the broad direction of education policy and remain accountable to Parliament and the public. But the daily work of running our public education system should increasingly rest with a professional organisation specifically constituted to do that work.
This is not privatisation
Let me also address one potential misconception directly.
Nothing is being sold.
Nothing in this legislation privatises Bermuda’s public schools.
Government remains responsible for funding public education. Indeed, the Act specifically provides for the Authority’s funding to include grants appropriated by the Legislature.
The Authority will therefore still be using public money to deliver public education for Bermuda’s children.
And because public money is involved, accountability must remain.
The Authority will be required to prepare operating plans and quarterly reports. Those quarterly reports are specifically required to address progress against the operating plan, including student outcomes, financial performance and system-wide governance.
Annual reports and audited accounts must also ultimately be laid before the Legislature.
So, independence should never be confused with an absence of accountability.
Putting responsibility in the right place
The deeper change is one of responsibility.
I want us to move away from a system in which too much depends upon who happens to occupy a particular political office at a particular moment.
Instead, we are creating a Board with legally defined responsibilities and expertise, supported by a Chief Executive Officer who will ultimately be responsible for the day-to-day administration and management of the Authority under the direction of that Board.
That creates something Bermuda badly needs in education: institutional continuity.
A new Minister should not automatically mean a new direction for our schools.
A general election should not cause education professionals to wonder whether years of work will suddenly be abandoned.
And our educators should be able to focus on teaching and learning without constantly adjusting to changes in political priorities.
This is ultimately about children
There will quite properly be debate about the details of the Education Authority Act.
Members of Parliament should scrutinise it.
Educators should ask questions.
Parents should ask questions.
The public should ask questions.
But as we have that conversation, I hope we do not lose sight of the fundamental purpose.
The Education Authority is not being created simply to rearrange the machinery of government.
It is being created to give public education the stability, professional leadership and long-term focus that our children deserve.
That is the standard against which this legislation should ultimately be judged.
