Members of the community are being invited to actively give feedback on the state of the public school system with two initiatives launched by Government.

Minister for Education and Development Paula Cox said a weekend of education would be held in June where school issues can be discussed, probed and celebrated by anyone who wished to attend.

She said the event would be held at Bermuda College on June 21 and 22, organised by the Ministry.

She said: "The community is invited to come to the college for this Education Expo, which will provide opportunities to learn about what our students are doing in schools, to discuss `hot issues', (get involved) in mini-workshops, to watch a film showing the development of the B-TEC initiative, and to see what other organisations are doing to support education."

Ms Cox said the event, the first of its kind in Bermuda, would culminate in a banquet to celebrate education and a series of awards for principals, teachers, education officers, students and members of the community who have made a significant contribution to education.

She added: "Put the date in your diary and look out for more information in the coming months."

And the Minister also revealed yesterday that feedback forms will be available in Post Offices from next week, designed to give members of the public an opportunity to comment on education.

The comment forms can be completed, with or without the name and details of the writer, and can be posted free of charge back to the Ministry.

The Minister added: "We ask the community to give us feedback on our service.

"In my experience, everyone has a view about how best to educate a child, even though it may have been many years since they set foot in a classroom.

"But most people will do nothing more than express that opinion from a distance because they assume that the education of Bermuda's children is an issue solely for Bermuda's educators. It is not."