Concerns about Bermuda’s public schools are mounting as teachers and parents continue to speak out about inadequate facilities, overcrowded classrooms, and ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Government’s education reform plans.
On the second day of mounting dissatisfaction, TNN News spoke with teachers from Elliott Primary School, who described a long list of problems that remain unresolved despite earlier promises.
At Elliott, which enrolls 177 students aged 5 to 11, staff say conditions are far from acceptable. Teachers reported cracked tiles at the school’s entrance, unfinished paintwork, and classrooms without the promised air conditioning, leaving both staff and students struggling in overheated rooms.
Ceiling leaks have forced the school counselor out of her office, while Wi-Fi issues mean students and staff cannot consistently connect online or print.
Other challenges include furniture shortages, undelivered supplies, exposed pipes on the playground, and parking congestion worsened by an increase to 41 staff members.
Perhaps most concerning to parents: the school has only one working water fountain for nearly 200 children.
“This is not what we were promised,” one teacher told TNN. “We are making do, but conditions are far below standard.”
• Larger Classes and Staff Shortages
The ripple effects of recent school closures are also being felt across the island. At West Pembroke, parents have raised alarm about larger class sizes after Prospect Primary closed. Both West Pembroke and Victor Scott absorbed the overflow of students, leading to what some describe as “doubled” class ratios.
In St. George’s, East End Primary parents successfully resisted a Ministry plan to combine P5 and P6 students into a single class. Parents argued that merging two year groups would undermine preparation for P6 students about to graduate.
Teacher shortages remain another pressing issue. Some schools have been forced to rely on “allocated substitutes” — staff members assigned to cover multiple classrooms — because permanent teachers for certain year groups have not been secured.
While this system avoids the disruption of rotating external substitutes, parents and teachers say it fails to provide consistency or quality in the classroom.
One of the main reasons why we have a shortage of teachers is that some teachers have gone to the private school sector and a group of teachers have retired.
• Fallout From Education Reform
The repeated shifting of timelines — including the recent decision to pause parts of the reform plan — has left teachers demoralized and families uncertain about the future. Several experienced teachers have already left the public system altogether, with many moving into private education.
• Growing Frustration
What emerges from conversations with both teachers and parents is a system stretched thin, where promises have been broken and confidence in leadership has eroded. Parents say students are paying the price through lost instructional time, overcrowded classes, and facilities that remain unfit for purpose.
• As one frustrated parent put it:
“There’s no consistency. Teachers are leaving, schools are closing without warning, and children are falling behind. The reform may be paused, but the damage has already been done.”
• Elliott Primary School
- Facilities Issues:
- Cracked entrance tiles
- Unpainted areas
- Air conditioning promised but not installed — classrooms are overheated
- Ceiling leaks preventing the school counselor from using her office
- Limited Wi-Fi access, printing difficulties
- Only one water fountain for 177 children
- Playground hazards with exposed pipes
- Furniture shortages and undelivered supply container
- Parking issues due to staff doubling in number
- Teachers report they are “making do,” but conditions are far below what was promised.
Stay tuned for further updates on this story
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