Bright university graduates could be given incentives to go into teaching — regardless of what they studied — to try to improve poor school results among young black males.

Premier Ewart Brown yesterday announced Government is considering adopting the UK's 'Teach First' initiative, which encourages the most energetic and creative young men and women to launch teaching careers.

Dr. Brown said that was one of a string of possible measures to address startling findings from Ronald Mincy's report into young black males.

Kicking off what he described as "by far the most important debate of this young century" in the House of Assembly yesterday, the Premier said the Island needs to make the most of its available talent.

"I have asked the Central Policy Unit within the Cabinet Office to examine the 'Teach First' initiative in the UK," Dr. Brown told MPs.

"This programme incentivises the brightest university graduates, irrespective of their course of study, to devote two years after their graduation to teaching.

"After a brief conversion course these young men and women with optimum energy, creativity and as eager witnesses of the importance of quality teaching, are in the classroom and instructing.

"In most cases they are placed in the most challenging environments. Early indications are that the programme is successful and statistics show that 57 percent of those involved in the programme remain in the education system.

"It may be that we discover some impediments to having such a programme in Bermuda. My hope is that they are structural or numerical and not personal. We will examine this programme and where it can be done to increase student outcomes and improve the quality of teaching in the public education system, we will do it."

Other possible solutions outlined by the Premier included:

• six students from the Summer Employment Programme will spend a five-week internship in Government's London and Washington offices to get experience living overseas;

l making school counsellors more effective by giving them better information on work permits;

• national service programme to promote teamwork and character.

Dr. Mincy's report, released late last year, found more than half of young black males drop out of high school early and veer more toward getting jobs "working with their hands" than their white counterparts.

In his speech yesterday, the Premier provided his own critique of Dr. Mincy's findings, reflecting on a group of young people in Bermuda disconnected from society, the under-representation of black males in the highest echelons of the business world, the Island's failing education system and the racism he describes as a major factor of Bermuda's past and present.

■ The report is available at the Ministry of Education website www.moed.bm