Government will spend $17,868 per senior school student this year in an attempt to reverse the abysmal public graduation rates.

But yesterday's Budget revealed that money for teacher training appears to have been slashed by 79 percent.

Minister of Education, Randy Horton, has admitted last year's public graduation rates ? which saw 48 percent of final year students graduate ? were "grim reading" and "totally unacceptable". Currently a "systemic review" is underway at the Ministry.

The Ministry of Education, Sports and Recreation will receive $152.4 million this year, up from $145.1 million in 2006, with the Department of Education receiving $117.3 million, a two percent rise on the $114.7 million allocated in 2006. The Bermuda College gets a five percent increase to $18.2 million, up $1 million.

But the Government is spending $2,500 more per student this year with the price of a public school education totalling nearly $18,000, while tuition to the average private school costs $13,500.

Though the cost per child has risen the amount allocated to teacher training appeared to have been slashed by 79 percent from the amount suggested in last year's budget.

In the 2006 budget the Government said it would spend $2.8 million on training. However, it revealed yesterday that only $400,000 was spent over the year and that $600,000 was being allocated to training this year.

The Minister said the amount spent on training teachers had not been reduced by that much and funds for training have been allocated differently this year, but did not give any examples.

The only other area of the education budget which appeared to show increase in training from last year's amount was professional development which received an additional $58,000.

He did reveal that the "systemic review" currently underway would cost the Government $150,000, with Bank of Bermuda HSBC footing the other half of the $300,000 bill.

It will be carried out by Dr. David Hopkins, who is Chair in International Leadership for HSBC.

He will lead a team of six, which will include four people from the UK and two Bermudians, Rhonda Wood Smith and Dr. Lou Matthews.

Mr. Horton said the review, which will be finished by the end of March, will examine the quality of leadership, standards of teaching and special education, among other things.

Mr. Horton said the outcome of the review would lead to changes in the Ministry and the way students are taught.

He also revealed that the Centre of Talented Youth's partnership with John Hopkins University will cost $290,000 and the Government would grant three scholarships totalling $100,000 to men who want to become teachers.

He also said the Ministry would expect "more bang for buck" when it came to its communication department, which saw its budget slashed by 55 percent.

Yesterday, the Bermuda Union of Teachers, Lisa Trott said she was concerned that training had been reduced as it was a key area of the new Education Minister's plans for systemic change.

In particular, Ms Trott said she was worried that this review would be the same as previous ones, an expense the Ministry fails to follow up on.

She said: "I am concerned about the cost of the review because we have had reviews about education five years ago, ten years ago and they came up with the same recommendations each time, but Ministry did not follow up on them.

"The last time we had a review, it recommended that we not use the middle school system, but the Ministry did it anyway. And another review said we should not include school administrators in the student to teacher ratio but the Ministry still does it.

"We have brought this up with the Ministry but they say that recommendations are just that, recommendations not something they have to do. I just hope that this is not another example of an extensive review that does not lead to change."

She did say she was pleased the Ministry had finally admitted the education system was in crisis, as it was something teacher have known for years.

She added she would wait to examine the figures in more detail before commenting further on the apparent reduction in the amount allocated to training.

Shadow Minister of Education Neville Darrell he was pleased the Ministry was making changes to the education system as it was something he had been urging them to do for years.