Burt stands by under-fire education minister
David Burt has defended Diallo Rabain, the education minister, after he was accused of snubbing St George’s Preparatory School in a video clip.
The excerpt from a conference call between Mr Rabain and education officials sparked controversy on social media, with the school’s Parent Teacher Association accusing the minister of showing “contempt” for consultation.
The Premier responded that Mr Rabain “has my full support as he advances education reform”.
He said: “A one-minute clip from a three-hour meeting, where the minister was speaking about an Education Authority which enjoys the support of both political parties in Bermuda, shows that the Opposition has resorted to political games rather than engaging in this process which should be non-partisan, and should focus on the children in public education such as my daughter and son.”
The clip from April 2022 showed Mr Rabain advising to be “wary” of the school and agreeing that its PTA “aren’t going to be in the mix” when policy was finalised.
The Opposition said this week that Mr Rabain should quit as minister over the remarks.
Mr Rabain said this evening: "At no point was the information that was asked for by St George's Preparatory withheld.
"St George's Preparatory requested the data used surrounding the development of the Education Authority. The Education Authority Working Group met with SGP, and all relevant data and information requested were furnished.“
He added: “It should be noted that this was a similar exercise to the meetings held with SGP regarding the parish primary school proposal for St George's parish before the final decision published in June 2021.”
Mr Rabain said the meeting a year ago had been held with all aided schools in the public education system — and that the excerpt being shared had been given to St George’s Prep alone at its request after the meeting.
He said his remarks had been taken out of context and concerned a request by the school for data on the creation of the Education Authority.
Mr Rabain said the ministry had “already furnished all that we had available”.
The Education Authority Working Group is to continue talks on the creation of the authority.
Mr Burt said the minister was moving ahead with “the mammoth task of education reform”, which includes phasing out middle schools and introducing signature schools and parish primary schools.
The Premier said “change is never easy”, adding: “The minister has pledged to take the feedback from the latest round of engagement to modify the proposals so that we can progress this vital reform for Bermuda’s future.“
• To read the statement in full, click on the PDF under “Related Media”
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