The Education Department will work closely with the Bermuda College to ensure the improvement of a programme offered for teacher assistants.

Education Minister Jerome Dill promised this yesterday after teachers recently complained that some paraprofessionals or teacher assistants lacked the necessary skills to assist them with children who had special needs.

Associate dean of the college's Continuing and Applied Studies, Helen Pearman-Ziral also told The Royal Gazette that the teacher assistants who graduated from the college's Child Care certificate programme were only qualified to assist students from pre-school to age 12.

Explaining that the programme was revised several years ago from the nursery training certificate programme, Mrs. Pearman-Ziral said: "It is really a paraprofessional programme geared for that level at the moment.'' And although the college planned to develop an associate degree child care programme, she noted that she had received "no clear indication'' from the Education Ministry "as to what they would like to see''.

Yesterday, Mr. Dill admitted that the child care course needed to be amended.

He said he has since directed Education Permanent Secretary Marion Robinson to ensure that "formal'' consultation takes place immediately.

However, Mr. Dill said many of the 79 teacher assistants in the public school system were highly trained.

He noted that while the minimum qualification to be a teacher assistant was the Child Care certificate from the college, seven teacher assistants had associate degrees, 21 had bachelor degrees, and two had Master's degrees.

Mr. Dill also pointed out that all of the teacher assistants attended a staff development course held last September and "hands-on'' training was provided for those who worked with children with special challenges.

"I do not mean to suggest that the system is perfect,'' he said. "But a lot of them are very highly trained and skilled.'' Teacher assistants' job description made it clear that they were there "to assist teachers and take their direction from teachers'', he added.

Teachers-in-charge and principals evaluated teacher assistants at the end of each school year "so they can work on their weaknesses and build on their strengths. They (teacher assistants) are supposed to provide one-on-one or one-on-two assistance in a class, but also make themselves available to whoever is in need,'' Mr. Dill said. "But teachers need to be able to adequately direct them.''