record straight on the school's postgraduate programme.

Mrs. Kingsbury was speaking after what she called "ill informed comments'' made by Bermuda College vice president of academic and student affairs, Donald Peters.

Dr. Peters had claimed that parents needed to be educated on the advantages of attending a college over continuing post graduate courses in high school.

But Mrs. Kingsbury called into question Dr. Peters' knowledge on the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) which she hopes to introduce in the near future.

"Any student awarded an IB Diploma has earned a strong credential for admission to first rate colleges or universities anywhere in the world,'' she contended.

"Contrary to Dr. Peters' belief,'' she added, "the IB Diploma Programme has grown fastest in the United States and Canada as schools and school districts have sought to improve academic performance and student credentials.

"Offered in 103 public and private US schools in 1990, the IB Programme was offered in 204 US schools by 1998. In Canada, the number of schools offering the IB Diploma Programme grew from 39 to 59 in the same time frame.'' Addressing the contention that it is better for graduating high school students to go to Bermuda College than stay on in post graduate programmes at high schools, Mrs. Kingsbury said: "All post graduate programmes offered on the Island, whether at the Bermuda College or elsewhere, are simply college preparatory programmes.''