Education Minister the Hon. Clarence Terceira has come under criticism for his selection of a senior secondary school board.

The interim board, chaired by Bermuda Electric Light Company president Mr.

Garry Madeiros, consists of several former teachers, a lawyer, a scientist and several business people.

And one of its main tasks, Dr. Terceira said, was to help find a principal for the senior secondary school at Prospect which will accommodate some 1,200 students.

Dr. Terceira said when he revealed the board's members a week ago: "They will become the first champions for a project that will have great impact for Bermuda schools and Bermuda students.'' But chairman of the Bermuda Technical Institute Association, Mr. DelMonte Davis, said the Board appeared to be "very narrow'' in its make-up and he said he was surprised his organisation was not approached about having a representative.

"We have several of our trustees who sit on committees for the college and the Department of Education,'' Mr. Davis told The Royal Gazette .

"And we have several people who can be seen as ideal to sit on the board.'' Mr. Davis -- who stressed the BTIA was not formed to re-introduce the once successful Technical Institute but to ensure the education system met the needs of all students -- said it was important to have members of the board who were experienced in relative areas.

"You want to have the input of folks who have been in the trenches,'' he said. "You don't ask a doctor to fix an automobile and you don't ask a motor mechanic to fix an arm.'' Mr. Davis said the BTIA -- which would be more than willing to help the board if approached -- believed its role was very important. "It should cast its net very wide to ensure that it gets all the input and assistance possible,'' he said. "Right now that is lacking.'' Shadow Education Minister Ms Jennifer Smith echoed similar sentiments. "I would have thought that one would have gone back to the Education Planning Team's recommendations and have elected a board that reflected the community and the make-up of the school,'' she said.

She added the board, which had had no input into how the senior school was developed, would now be a buffer for any criticism directed at it. The Minister would be able to say the school had its own board and he was not responsible, Ms Smith claimed.

And she hoped some of those named to the board had children in public high schools.

She warned: "Otherwise it will carry no validity with the public.'' But Dr.

Terceira, speaking from Newfoundland where he was scheduled to meet with the Education Minister there, accused Ms Smith of trying to make the board appointment a "political issue''.

"I'm not interested as to whether they have kids and whether they attend private or public schools,'' he said. "I picked them for their expertise in the areas in which they work. These are intelligent people. They have got a lot to offer.'' While noting the board was an interim one, Dr. Terceira admitted some of the members "will probably stay on and be a part of the final board that will set up in two years' time''.

"But I think the important thing is the commitment of these people and the expertise of these people.'' In reference to Mr. Davis' concerns, Dr. Terceira said: "We are not reinstituting the technical institute. We are looking at technology that will take us into the 21st Century.'' However, he said his Ministry would welcome any input from Mr. Davis and members of the BTIA.

Mr. Madeiros was off the Island and unavailable for comment last night.