Teachers union leader and Progressive Labour Party supporter Mike Charles had high hopes when the Government changed hands ten years ago.

After all new Premier Jennifer Smith had made her name campaigning on education which many felt would be high on her agenda once in office.

But the reality was so disappointing said Bermuda Union of Teachers General Secretary Mr. Charles, who is surprised by the lack of action by the PLP in fixing education's long-standing woes.

He said: "Except for the completion of Berkeley and the reduction of class sizes I can't see very much being done. I thought more would have been done sooner."

The education review, headed by Professor David Hopkins in 2007, had been a step in the right direction, said Mr. Charles. "But what has been done since the review has been less than satisfying."

And he said the Hopkins review had merely echoed what his union had been saying for years – without being heard.

"His review wasn't anything new. We were talking for a long time about a system-wide curriculum and more rigorous standards. These are things every teacher knows is necessary for success but it hasn't been done," he said.

Lack of continuity had been a key gripe from teachers – and it's not surprising given the number of Education Ministers in the last decade.

Premier Jennifer Smith took up Education herself in the early days before handing over to Milton Scott. He was followed by Paula Cox, Terry Lister, Neletha Butterfield, Randy Horton and now El James.

Mr. Charles said: "They each brought their own different styles of being in charge and each have their own ideologies and interests.

He said teachers had been working diligently on the BEST (Bermuda Education Strategic Team) programme put forward by Paula Cox.

"The next minister didn't seem to have any interest in it and it just flopped. The revolving doors of ministers didn't help."

Asked which Minister had been the most effective, Mr. Charles said: "Really they didn't stay long enough to do very much and make a comparison."

The failure of the PLP to tackle failing schools was a common theme across the board from people who spoke to The Royal Gazette for the ten-year anniversary.

When asked what the PLP most needed to improve on former Chamber of Commerce head Charles Gosling said: "Education, education, education."

He explained employers were having to go back to basics with some employees to do things the schools should have done much earlier.

If the system is not solved he said some realism needed to be brought to dealing with the expat community by reviewing work permit term limits.

And former independent MP Stuart Hayward said education had been the single biggest failing of the PLP's tenure.

"Despite flurries of reform activity, confidence in the public education system is at an all-time low."

He said the Hopkins report recommended reduced bureaucracy but intervention by Ministry bureaucrats had actually expanded.

Mr. Hayward added: "Teachers are given more paperwork and less accountability."

This had led to an exodus of the best teachers, and the hiring and retention of those more capable of form-filling that educating, argued Mr. Hayward.

Meanwhile the manipulation of figures on how education was performing had obscured any real measurement of any changes in outcome, he said.

Mr. Charles believes education should be run by the experts not the politicians. "But that just never happened."

He said education had been neglected for 30 years and the move to the mega schools had been a disaster.

"We objected to it vigorously at the time but Minister Simons was bent on putting up that monstrosity on the hill."

And now the PLP Government was following suit and failing to listen to teachers, said Mr. Charles.

"Except for reducing class sizes I don't think the last ten years were any better than before because the Ministry continued to do the same thing – initiative after initiative – never seeing anything to its completion.

"It was like the 'initiative of the month'. It leads to distrust and dismay among teachers because they get to the point of 'this too shall pass' because other initiatives have come and gone.

"There are too many initiatives not seen through to completion. We don't know if they are going to work or are working.

"I am disappointed where we are at this point in time. We continue to hope we can make education better because we have to.

"And hopefully the fact that a lot of attention has been brought to it will lead to something better in the future."