The "gift of free tuition" at Bermuda College has boosted its student numbers, Education Minister El James said this week.

But his Opposition counterpart Grant Gibbons questioned the claim, arguing that figures obtained by him suggested the student population was largely unchanged from a year ago.

Government began paying for the fees of any qualified Bermudian on a credit course at the college last autumn. Mr. James told the House of Assembly on Monday that the initiative absorbed more than $1.3 million of the publicly funded college's $20.2 million budget last year.

He said: "Over the past year, there were numerous highlights and accomplishments at the college but the most significant is the gift of free tuition which was received from the Government of Bermuda.

"As a result of this initiative, Bermuda College had a 25.9 percent increase in enrolment in fall 2008 and a 20.6 percent increase in spring 2009, compared to the previous year. This included an 8.7 percent and 14.9 percent increase in male enrolment over the two semesters."

The Minister gave the enrolment figures for the college as 1,366 for fall 2008 and 1,229 for spring 2009. His numbers appear to be based on the total student population, including those on continuing education (i.e. professional or career) courses, rather than just the credit course students who benefit from the free tuition.

Shadow Education Gibbons told MPs during the Budget debate that recent answers he received to parliamentary questions revealed that the number of full-time credit course students at the college had risen to 298 this spring compared to 262 a year ago. However, the number of part-time students was down from 598 to 548.

The figures given to Dr. Gibbons suggest a total credit course student population of 846 this spring compared to 860 last spring — a decrease of about 1.6 percent.

Dr. Gibbons said: "When you add the two (full and part-time) together, I think it looks like it [the student population] is flat, frankly," said the Opposition MP. "I was interested because obviously with the free tuition I thought we might get a considerable bump up but when you compare the figures...it looks pretty even."

He added: "We find ourselves at this particular point in time, even with the addition of free tuition, essentially giving it away, and we still don't have the kinds of numbers that Bermuda College should be getting for a community of this size."

The Opposition MP told the House that the publicly funded college would benefit from a "Hopkins review" of its own — a reference to the 2007 inquiry into public schools which concluded that the education system was close to meltdown.

"I honestly think that the college needs what I'll call a Hopkins review to make sure that it's really fulfilling its function in a fundamental sort of way." he said.

He added: "We need a more objective view. Maybe a 10,000 ft view. We need a group to come in and see whether Bermuda College is doing all it could do and whether there is more that could be done to get that institution working."

Dr. Gibbons claimed the cost of educating a student at Bermuda College was now about $36,000 a year. His estimate is calculated by assuming two part-time students equal one full-time student, giving a total population of 572 students on credit courses, and dividing the college's $20.7 million government grant this year by that figure.

The Shadow Minister gave the figures for student enrolment in 1991/92 — 665 full-time and 2,800 part-time — and questioned why there had been such a decline.

He said: "Clearly the economy has been better over the last ten years or so, so maybe a lot of parents can afford to send their kids away to school. I also think there was a very different approach to Bermuda College back in those days."

He said under former college president Archie Hollis Hallett there was "much more of an emphasis on standards". At that point, Government backbencher Randy Horton called out that the college still maintained high standards.

Dr. Gibbons said: "We have changed; we are now much more of a community college. What I am suggesting is that there is clearly a perception in terms of the standards at the college."

He said that in 199½ there were 74 full-time technical students, compared to just 24 now, and that the number of full-time hospitality students had dropped over the same period from 250 to 19.

Former Education Minister Mr. Horton told the House the college played a vital role in helping to prepare Bermudians for the workforce.

He said its declining population could be attributed to a falling birth rate, the recent reduction in fees at UK universities for Bermudians and the growing number of further education options.

He said he was proud to be able to report that the National Training Board no longer sent students overseas but to the college instead.