Teachers' union leader Mike Charles yesterday accused Government of showing "disrespect" by failing to tell the organisation that Ellen-Kate Horton had been moved from the Ministry of Education.

Mr. Charles, general secretary of Bermuda Union of Teachers (BUT), said the union was not informed of the decision to make Ms Horton Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet less than two weeks after she was promoted to Education Permanent Secretary and found out from the media.

"It just goes to show the kind of disrespect that is given to the union as the representative body for the teachers," he told The Royal Gazette. "Really we are just, in a sense, onlookers and bystanders."

Meanwhile, Shadow Education Minister Grant Gibbons said Ms Horton's move would do nothing to provide "continuity and stability" in a Ministry in the process of reforming schools. "All they appear to be doing is moving the deck chairs on the Titanic," he said.

Mr. Charles told this newspaper: "Things are being done, changes are being made but we have no idea what's going on. The really unfortunate thing in all of this is that while all this stuff is being played out nothing is being done for the kids."

He said Ms Horton, sister of Education Minister Randy Horton, e-mailed teachers when she was made Permanent Secretary before Christmas after four months acting in the role. She e-mailed again on New Year's Day to advise them of her move (see separate piece). Ms Horton's appointment to the Ministry of Education last August prompted criticism from the BUT, which represents more than 900 educators.

"An e-mail came round from her stating that she was confirmed in the (PS) position," he said. "A teacher told me about it. We went away for the holiday thinking 'well, that is that, we'll have to live with it'.

"I got a call on Monday saying this is what had happened. It leaves us really in a state of total confusion as to what's being done."

Mr. Charles said teachers felt that almost eight months on from the Hopkins report — a damning review of public schools which described the system as "on the brink of a meltdown" — they were no clearer on what changes were to be made.

"We are playing all these games, musical chairs, and our kids are just going along eight months into the review and not one whiff of change."

He added that the failure to tell the union about personnel changes reinforced criticism made in the Hopkins report about lack of communication from the Ministry.

Dr. Gibbons said having three acting Permanent Secretaries in seven months sent out a disturbing message and described Ms Horton's move so soon after being promoted to PS as "odd".

"The Permanent Secretary is the highest-ranking civil servant in the department who has to be fundamentally part of the reform process," he said. "If we keep changing them, how can we expect to get any stability or progress?"

The reasons for Ms Horton's switch to the Cabinet Office remained unclear last night. One teacher, who would not be named, said her removal from Education would not be mourned in schools.

"I think there was probably too much of an underground protest after she was made PS," said the teacher. "This does mean another change in the Ministry but I think in this case it's something that we can live with."

The Education Minister did not respond to an e-mail yesterday asking him about the rapid turnover of acting Permanent Secretaries in recent months or its potential impact on reform.

Questions were also sent to Philip Butterfield, chairman of the interim executive board, which is implementing the changes recommended in the Hopkins report. A spokeswoman for Mr. Butterfield said last night he was "declining to comment on your questions, which he believes should be directed to the Head of the Civil Service".