Scores of parents, teachers and students gathered across the island yesterday evening to voice concerns about the state of Bermuda’s schools.

Groups with placards greeted rush-hour traffic at various locations, including several schools, King Street in Hamilton, outside the Cabinet Building and at Barker’s Hill, Devonshire.

The placards highlighted a range of concerns about the condition and safety of buildings and carried messages such as “Don’t monkey around with education” and “Safety first”.

Shannon James, the president of the Bermuda Union of Teachers, joined a group of about 20 campaigners on Front Street, in front of the Cabinet Building, to express disquiet about the education system.

“This is just a tap on the shoulder to remind everyone that the children are our future,” Mr James said. “We are very concerned about the poor condition our schools are in and we are worried about the management of these schools

“We don’t see the same concerted effort being put towards education as we do other areas of Government, such as the economy and tourism.

“When we don’t have the supplies we need and when the buildings are in desperate need of repair, the children are the ones that suffer.”

Last night, Wayne Scott, the Minister of Education, responded to the demonstration saying: “We are dealing with the issues that have been raised but some of the problems have been brewing for years”.

He told The Royal Gazette: “We empathise with the concerns that have been raised and we support them.

“We recognise there are challenges with our schools and that is exactly why we put the report and this whole issue in the public domain.

“Some of the immediate health and safety issues have been dealt with, while other concerns will be more thoroughly resolved once school is out so we can gain access to the buildings.

“We are working with the Department of Works to develop a schedule for what needs to be done and this will be shared with PTAs and parents.”

The campaigners began to gather at about 4.30pm at various locations in Hamilton as well as schools and artery routes outside the city, and remained until 6pm. Their actions follow the Government-commissioned Score report that highlighted widespread failings across the public primary school system and outlined several scenarios to address the problems, including the potential closure of four schools — Heron Bay Primary School, St David’s Primary School, Gilbert Institute and Prospect Primary School.

Tammisha Francis-Wainwright, a Department of Education employee and career pathways co-ordinator who works with Berkeley Institute students, said: “I am here in solidarity with my colleagues to voice our concerns about the state of our schools. They have limited resources and there are health issues associated with the mould and the state of the buildings. It is important for our students to be safe. That is why my sign says: “Safety First”.

Tamicia Darrell, the deputy principal of West End Primary School, joined the campaigners on Front Street in Hamilton.

“We are here because we want to educate the people that education has to be a priority for this Government,” she said. “I do not think it is a priority. I understand education is expensive, but ignorance is more so.

“I would like to see the Government take more of a vested interest in education. We are doing this on our own time, and we are not disrupting the school day because we don’t want to do that. We love our little pumpkins and that is why we are here.”