Almost half of Bermuda's public school students left school without completing their BSSC in 1998 and 1999, Government reported on Friday.

The numbers improved slightly in 2000 and 2001, with 65 and 66 percent respectively graduating compared to the size of the entry level classes.

In 2003, however, with the move to the BSC system and the addition of an extra year, just 26 percent graduated meaning 74 percent did not - a figure attributed to a “disruptive year for students”.

But Government was also able to report a decline in the number of violent incidents in Island public schools in recent years.The Opposition United Bermuda Party raised questions about student graduation rates and violence at school, during parliamentary question time.

Education Minister Terry Lister reported that 1998 to 2001 “saw improvement in our graduation rate. In 1998 and 1999, 47 percent of our students did not complete the BSSC. In 2000 and 2001 that number decreased to 35 and 34 percent respectively.”

35 and 34 percent respectively.”

The BSSC was scrapped in 2002, and the first eligible graduates for the new BSC programme came on line in 2003.

“This Honourable House will note that 74 percent of our students did not graduate in 2003,” the Minister continued in written responses.

“This was a disruptive year for students. An additional year had been added to the senior level and over 100 students opted to not remain in the public school system to complete the additional year. In the same year we were informed that there was an marked increase in enrolment to alternative programming.”

The Minister added that a number of factors were responsible for students leaving the school system.

“In the past we have been unable to track individual students. However, with current technology we anticipate keeping more detailed statistics on the number of students who leave the system and their reason for leaving.”

Asked for the total number of violent incidents on public school grounds from 1998 to 2003, the Minister said that data collection started in 1999-2000 and the numbers fell from 138 in 2000 to 94 in 2003 overall.

“Assaults on school staff have been variable. A maximum of ten incidents were reported in 2001 with a low of six incidents in 2002,” the Minister reported.

“There has been a slight variability in serious acts of violence, ranging from six acts in 2000 and 2001, to four acts in 2002 and seven acts in 2003. Sexual assaults are variable as well. In 2002 four acts were reported, five in 2001, two in 2002 and three in 2003.”

The system had also pursued efforts to attract more male teachers into the profession, and some progress had been made in increasing their numbers, the Minister said in response to another question.

Male principals had held meetings looking into the issues and identified “some males we can look at for leadership positions,” Mr. Lister continued.

“Since the on-island Teachers as Scholars programme conducted by Wheelock College, there has been an increase in males applying to become certified teachers. It is evident that over the past five years the percentage of male educators has increased from 18 percent in 1999 to 20 percent in 2003,” an increase in actual numbers to 169 from 141.