Former Premier Sir John Swan has set out a number of goals that he believes are necessary to get Bermuda back on its feet.

Following his controversial remarks last month that the Island is in danger of becoming a Third World country, Sir John makes a number of equally bold assertions in a column in today's Royal Gazette (see Page 4), including the observation that the country is "too socially and politically fractured" for Independence at this time.

He touches on a wide range of topics, including housing, education, the Police and care for seniors in what he says are his thoughts on domestic issues which are essential to tackle.

Key proposals include setting up a boarding academy for "at risk" males between the ages of eight and 14, who need specific attention at an age where they are starting to crystallise their values, habits and ideas.

Noting that this could be seen as a radical decision, Sir John, pictured, explains: "I think some parents realise that they are not doing what they need to be doing for their children, males in particular."

He recommends modernising the pay structure of teachers with a focus on skills or competency-based pay, as in the US and Britain, to encourage a higher standard of performance in the public school system.

"We need to raise standards, prestige and compensation so that our best and brightest young people choose to enter the teaching profession, and teachers who can't meet the standards should choose to enter a less demanding line of work," he writes.

Sir John, who led the United Bermuda Party from 1982 to 1995, also recommends establishing an independent Education Audit Authority so the public can monitor the standard of education in schools.

On the subject of law and order, he notes that the building of a new Hamilton Police Station and court complex is long overdue and calls for a dramatically-raised Police presence in the City of Hamilton.

A new building to house the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital should be built, he believes, with the Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute moved to the present KEMH site.

Attention should be paid to a low-cost housing development in the Dutton Avenue area of town, Sir John says, adding: "The human consequences of inadequate housing have an immeasurable social impact on young people. It inhibits children's ability to learn and thus adds to our spiralling crime rate amongst young people. Housing needs in Bermuda stretch across generations."

He also highlights the importance of planning for a replacement incinerator and a new Causeway able to withstand a Category Five hurricane as well as the necessity of completing the National Stadium.

"Our country is too socially and politically fractured to go to Independence at this time," he contends.

"We need first to demonstrate to Bermudians a real understanding and competency in dealing with issues of the day before moving forward to Independence."