The Free Democratic Movement (FDM) unequivocally assures all Bermudians that no schools will be closed. Our steadfast plan is to enhance our community by encouraging Bermudians currently residing overseas to return home and by making our island attractive to new residents.
This bold vision to rejuvenate our economy includes significant improvements to existing educational facilities as well as the revitalization of recently closed schools, with the aim of ensuring a thriving and prosperous future for Bermuda.
The notion of closing schools is a stark indictment of any government’s vision. Such actions do not promote growth; rather, they reflect a lack of motivation to propel our country forward and fail to instill confidence among the island’s residents. With this in mind, we are proud to present our education policy, which focuses on nurturing Bermuda’s most valuable resource—its people–in a way that ensures students grow into positive contributing citizens.
Strong System Leadership Like doctors, lawyers and financiers, Education Leadership is a discipline which involves unique knowledge, competencies and skills. This leadership is necessary if we are to achieve our vision of a world class public education system.
To this end, the FDM will employ and utilize homegrown talent and educational expertise to lead in the implementation of our education policy. Our own education experts understand and appreciate Bermuda culture, what’s needed to sustain that culture and how best to go about achieving our aim of excellence for every student.
Adoption of a National Curriculum
The FDM will adopt a National Curriculum which is rigorous and comprehensive, ensuring all the necessary components. This guarantees that all teachers/school staff have access to critical resources equipping them with the information and materials needed to support effective instruction and, ultimately, student success.
Again, the FDM will utilize local community experts, resources and talent to enhance and/or compliment the delivery of the national curriculum. These experts include athletes, performers, community activists and others.
Education Policy: Focusing on Bermuda’s People
The first and central policy of the Free Democratic Movement is to focus on the development of Bermuda’s human capital via evolutionary educational reform. These changes include giving parents more options to choose schools, raising teaching standards, letting local schools make more of their own decisions, providing vouchers for all schools, and encouraging schools to use data to remain focused on continuous improvement and competitiveness.
We also aim to introduce community schools to ensure that every child can attend a school that is well-equipped with the necessary resources, opportunities, support for academic success, for building strong relationships within families, schools, and the broader community. This kind of school prepares students for a successful life and active participation in society, promoting fairness and shared responsibility among all community members to create a supportive educational environment.
As public entities, community schools work closely with families and local organizations to provide a comprehensive educational experience that boosts student achievement. They focus on culturally relevant teaching that connects with students’ backgrounds and enhances community ties. These schools emphasize developing skills needed for the 21st century alongside strong academic programs. The success of community schools is built on four main pillars: comprehensive support for students, opportunities for advanced and varied learning, strong involvement from families and the community, and teamwork-oriented leadership. Together, these elements foster an environment that supports students’ overall growth and success.
The FDM recognizes that our schools have done a good job in preparing Bermuda’s young people for further education or jobs. This success is largely thanks to our dedicated teachers and school leaders, as well as the strong support from students’ families.
Our aim is to keep what’s working well in our current education system but also take the necessary steps to make it even better. We want to make sure all students leave school with the qualifications they need for the future. We will focus on addressing the key aspects of our education system and will ensure everything meets the standards expected in today’s world.
Key Points of Our Education Plan Maintain High Teaching Standards:
● What It Means: In collaboration with the Bermuda Union of Teachers and other key stakeholders, we will implement a Bermuda Teaching Standards Code that ensures all teachers, whether new or experienced, meet high professional and educational standards and are well prepared to teach a diverse group of students.
● Why It’s Important: High teaching standards ensure students receive quality education from well-trained and competent teachers every day. This is crucial if our students are to experience academic success.
● Example: Adopting a comprehensive training program for teachers that includes the utilization of retired teachers or exemplary teachers for teaching support, ongoing school-based and system-wide professional development and continuous evaluations to ensure high teaching standards are maintained.
Decentralized School Governance:
● What It Means: Control over how schools are run and what they teach will be shifted from the Department of Education to local school leaders and their leadership teams.
● Why It’s Important: School leaders and their respective staff know their students best and can tailor the education product to meet their specific needs. This leads to more effective and responsive teaching which results in greater student achievement.
Example: Empowering schools by establishing boards of governors and supporting a level of autonomy for school leaders will positively add to the school structure, curriculum choices, and funding sources.
Parental Choice and School Competition:
● What It Means: Parents will have more options to choose the best school for their children, which will drive schools to improve their services to attract more students.
● Why It’s Important: When parents can choose, schools are motivated to offer higher quality education and better resources to stand out, leading to improved education standards across the system.
● Example: Implementing a school voucher system allows parents to select schools that best fit their child’s needs, fostering competition among schools to provide superior education and services.
School Vouchers for all schools:
● What It Means: We will introduce a voucher system allowing schools to use government funds to cover the operations cost of each school based on the school’s admission percentage.
● Why It’s Important: This system gives parents the ability to choose the best school for their child, promoting fairness and access to high-quality education.
● Example: Providing vouchers that cover attendance at various schools, ensuring that all students have access to the education that best suits their needs.
What We Aim to Achieve Transparency and Accountability:
● What It Means: We will publish school performance data to show how each school is performing academically and otherwise.
● Why It’s Important: Transparency helps parents make informed choices about their children’s education and encourages schools to improve. It also enables us to see which schools may need more support and/or resources.
● Example: Providing detailed school performance data which shows growth will help parents choose the best educational environment for their children, encouraging schools to strive for excellence.
Smaller, More Efficient and Effective School Structure:
● What It Means: We will create a school system which includes schools with a variety of curriculum foci Parents will have greater choice at all levels to choose the school which best suits their child.
● Why It’s Important: Non-geographical admission criteria to community-based schools has historically proven to be effective on the Island.
● Example: Pivoting from the current structure to a more progressive use of schools will allow community-based schools that are designed for greater student engagement and ultimately, closer student-teacher interactions and individualized learning plans aligned with individual student’s talents.
Increased Parental Involvement:
● What It Means: We will design a national parental programme which encourages and supports active parental involvement in the education and school activities of children.
● Why It’s Important: Parental involvement is key to student success and helps create a supportive learning environment. Helping parents in how they can be involved in a positive way will bring about improved student performance.
● Example: Organizing regular workshops and volunteer opportunities that encourage parents and families to actively participate in their child’s education.
Our Plan of Action Empower School Leaders:
● What It Means: School leaders and teachers will have the authority to make decisions suitable for their respective schools.
● Why It’s Important: This ensures that decisions are made by those who have the data and who understand the needs of both the students and the staff, leading to better outcomes.
● Example: Empowering school principals and their leadership teams to customize the best curricular and extracurricular programs to ensure their students fulfill their potential in all areas.
Teaching Standards:
● What It Means: Work with key stakeholders to create a new code which will ensure all teachers employed in the public system meet high professional standards.
● Why It’s Important: This guarantees that every student is taught by qualified and competent teachers.
● Example: Developing a Bermuda Teaching Standards Code which outlines the professional and ethical responsibilities of teachers, ensure squality teaching across all schools.This will include the utilization of retired teachers and other resources to support and assist teachers on the execution of their duties.
School Structures:
● What It Means: Similar to the current aided schools, public schools will be supported by Boards of Governors and will have the freedom to organize their resources and seek funding to support curricular programs independently. Homeschools will also be provided access to a variety of resources to support their programs.
● Why It’s Important: This model encourages innovation and allows schools to tailor their programs to better meet student needs.
● Example: Supporting and incorporating Homeschools into the wider public school system culture with the autonomy to innovate and improve their educational offerings based on their needs. This will help achieve our ultimate goal of nurturing Bermuda’s most valuable resource—its people.
Smaller Department of Education:
● What It Means: The Department of Education will be streamlined to focus more on setting and monitoring standards and on ensuring efficient use of Department funds and other resources.
● Why It’s Important: A smaller, more efficient Department can better support schools and school leaders in delivering a quality education product.
● Example: Reducing the size of the Department of Education to focus on policy development and standard monitoring, allowing schools more freedom to manage day- to-day operations. This restructuring of school autonomy and governance will include the provision of National Curriculum to be determined with the involvement of key system/school stakeholders.
Independent School Inspectorate:
● What It Means: An independent body will regularly assess and publish school performance data including data on a range of school variables.
● Why It’s Important: Regular assessment ensures accountability and helps identify areas for improvement and support.
● Example: Establishing an independent school inspectorate to conduct regular evaluations of school performance, providing transparency and accountability around growth. Under-performing schools or schools not showing student growth will be given the chance to improve and/or undergo a level of restructuring to ensure the provision of necessary resources and support to improve student performance and consistent academic success across the Island.
Required Education:
● What It Means: Students will start school after the age of 4 and remain until their Secondary School requirements are successfully me.
Why It’s Important: Ensuring all students receive continuous education is crucial for their development and future success.
● Example: Implementing policies and allocating resources that motivate regular attendance and also provide support for students to stay in school until graduation.
Bermuda College to University:
● What It Means: Bermuda College will strategically partner with the University of the West Indies to offer degree-level qualifications and research opportunities in Bermuda.
● Why It’s Important: This partnership will provide higher education opportunities locally and will attract international students to Bermuda College.
● Example: Expanding the college curriculum to include a wider range of degree programs and creating research centers that focus on key areas like energy, the environment, and technology. The University of the West Indies will provide a full range of qualifications, including post-graduate degrees and professional designations. The University will also function as the premier academic research institution on-island. Through this partnership, we will also seek to create opportunities for Bermudians to more easily study in the Caribbean and to also develop the facility to educate international students in Bermuda.
School Vouchers:
● What It Means: Vouchers will be provided to all public schools allowing students to attend the school of their choice.
● Why It’s Important: This system promotes equal access to high-quality education for all students.
● Example: Introducing a voucher system that allows families to choose schools that best meet their child’s needs.
Private Student Vouchers:
● What It Means: Vouchers will be offered to students requiring financial assistance, determined through a comprehensive vetting process.
● Why It’s Important: This system ensures all students have equal access to high-quality education, regardless of their financial situation.
● Example: Implementing a voucher system that supports students in private and homeschool settings, helping them continue their education despite financial challenges related to tuition and fees.
Focus on Personal Development:
● What It Means: As community-based schools, students will be able to develop as well rounded individuals given the school support and focus on their personal, social, health, and emotional education, including sports and arts programs.
● Why It’s Important: Comprehensive education supports overall student development and well-being and again is aligned with our vision of adults who are prepared and ready to participate in our community.
● Example: Incorporating programs that teach life skills, mental health awareness, and physical fitness, alongside traditional academic subjects. Relationships will be strengthened with community-based entities, such as workman’s clubs, sports clubs, martial arts and performing arts schools, Gombey troupes, and other entities to ensure interested students can not only compete at a high level but also access the myriad of opportunities available outside of the classroom.
The FDM’s Education policy is both reformative and transformative by design, and ideology which will ensure Bermuda’s future is one we can all be proud of. By implementing our most salient policy initiatives, that is, returning critical decision making power and autonomy to the organizations most responsible–the school–and adopting a comprehensive and rigorous national curriculum, the FDM will use available resources to support and enhance the education product delivered at the school. Ultimately, the FDM will create a more efficient and effective, inclusive, and competitive education system that benefits all students in Bermuda–where schools remain open and where public education returns to first choice.
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