A group campaigning to save West End Primary School from closure called on the Premier to dismiss the Minister of Education.

The West End Warriors accused Diallo Rabain of making an “about face” on comments he made about the rescoring process being undertaken across Bermuda’s public private schools.

The Ministry of Education yesterday vowed to maintain talks “to obtain the best possible outcome for the Somerset community and our children”.

It added that because history and legacy meetings were delayed, the decision on school closures — supposed to have been made by the end of this month — had been pushed back until mid-April.

The rescoring process, used to determine which primary schools would remain open or be permanently closed, was introduced after a backlash from members of the public who said that the history and legacy of the schools should be a contributing factor.

On March 14, Mr Rabain said in an interview with the Bermuda Broadcasting Company that the original 19 “study factors” adopted to choose whether West End Primary School or Somerset Primary School would remain open in Sandys would not be revisited as part of the process.

However, the following day, the ministry issued a statement that said: “To be clear, we have committed to and will re-evaluate the previous scoring.”

The West End Warriors said in a statement: “The West End Warriors are disappointed, dismayed and utterly disgusted with his latest ‘about face’ over the 24-hour period between Thursday, March 14 and Friday, March 15, 2024 …”

The group added: “There is now no question that the WEWs are left with no option but to call upon the Premier to dismiss Minister Rabain immediately or request that he hand in his resignation on the spot.”

The campaigners said they had "stoically absorbed the countless missteps, miscues and deliberate or reckless misstatements“ from Mr Rabain, who they said ”indulges in this blasé and risqué behaviour with impunity and seeming immunity“.

The statement added: “There has been no corrective redress for his totally unacceptable behaviour.

“Therefore, it is ‘high time’ for the people of Sandys and Bermuda as a whole to hold him to account and have him pay the consequences of his errant ways, since it is patently obvious that his superiors are unwilling or unable to do so.”

The group repeated claims of inaccuracy in other areas of the Government’s original rescoring process, including the acreage of the two schools, which the group claims is bigger at West End Primary, putting it in a stronger position than it had been scored.

West End Primary School’s PTA joined the "warriors“ for a protest which took place this week at St James Church Hall.

The Ministry of Education said yesterday: "The ministry acknowledges yesterday's demonstration and pledges to continue the dialogue necessary to obtain the best possible outcome for the Somerset community and our children.

"The West End Warriors and other community groups emphasised the significance of history and legacy as a determining factor for the parish primary schools going forward.

“We listened to their arguments and assured the community that each school's record of achievement and historical contributions would be taken into significant consideration.

"We have also examined concerns regarding the previous 19 factors used to make the initial decision.“

It added: “As a government that seeks collaboration, we are reviewing the concerns raised by the West End Warriors and other community groups.

“This week, we are conducting meetings with school community representatives to allow them to present on history and legacy.

“These meetings will conclude this week and a report will be submitted to the ministry.

“As these meetings have been delayed until this week, we anticipate announcing the decision by mid-April.

"The history and legacy component will be incorporated fully into the evaluation process.

“The previous 19 factors will remain part of the re-evaluation of the scoring; however, the feedback made it clear that some require additional scrutiny. Scrutiny that will see some of them have their scoring revisited.

"The feedback we have received from the school communities across the island has been valuable. We are listening and, wherever possible, seeking to incorporate your ideas, address your concerns and reach common ground.

"At our core, our greatest concern is the children. Ensuring every student has the tools, resources and support to succeed drives our education reform initiative.

“We believe that when the process is completed, significant progress will have been made to improve the quality of education in Bermuda."

The statement said: “This assessor group will, between now and next week, likely determine which primary schools will eventually close, with the ultimate nightmarish upheaval of students’ and parents’ lives that such closures will inescapably bring.”

The warriors added at the end of its statement: “The Premier needs to do the right thing”.

A meeting to present information about West End Primary’s history and legacy component was expected to be held this afternoon.