Board of Education chairman Darren Johnston yesterday told an audience of business leaders that Bermuda needs a world-class education system to produce graduates capable of participating in the Island's international business sector.

Mr. Johnston, who is territory managing partner of accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, spelled out the plan to bolster the public education system as a guest speaker at the Association of Bermuda International Companies AGM yesterday.

In a joint presentation with Education Ministry Permanent Secretary Kevin Monkman, Mr. Johnston said: "Two years ago, my firm hired people from 27 different countries - and we only have about 200 employees.

"So to get into our workforce you have to be world class."

Bermuda needed a world-class comprehensive system that could achieve above-average results and would also serve the needs of those who did not reach the upper academic echelons.

The plan to achieve this included implemetation of the internationally recognised Cambridge curriculum and the first phase of this (English, Mathematics and Science) was due to be introduced in September next year. Other aims were to strengthen leadership, improve the quality of teaching and learning, raise standards through accountability and transparency, improve the efficiency of delivery, maximise contribution of parents and the community, and to improve the culture and climate of schools.

On the cost of public education, Mr. Johnston said: "The cost per student is high. I don't think people would be over concerned with the cost if we were getting correlating quality."

Mr. Monkman said the Cambridge curriculum would give students qualifications that were internationally recognised and would help them to compete for places at the best colleges and universities, and improve their preparation for the workplace. The system had to provide multiple pathways for students of different academic levels and with different interests, Mr. Monkman added, leading to technical colleges and vocational education as well as to university.