An Opposition sit-in protesting education cuts drew a crowd of about 70 people onto the grounds of Cabinet this afternoon, with Education Minister Grant Gibbons facing a sometimes hostile audience.

Shadow Education Minister Lovitta Foggo commended the turnout, which included ten students from both the Berkeley Institute and CedarBridge Academy, to protest changes made last year to Government’s education scholarships and awards.

“Monies have been removed from the further education award to the tune of $720,000,” Ms Foggo told the crowd. “What this means for many people who don’t qualify for the Bermuda Government Scholarships or private scholarships is that those who are in financial situations can’t afford to get the skills they think are necessary.”

The rally was organised by her colleague Walton Brown, who said the gathering was “trying to persuade Government to put funds back into the further education awards”.

Dr Gibbons assured the crowd that his Ministry understands the importance of scholarships and said the committees in charge of education financing were currently reviewing finances.

“The fact of the matter is that the education budget had to take some cuts, as indeed all budgets across various portfolios had to take,” he added.

Dr Gibbons said the previous regime had been “unsustainable” — but drew some angry heckling when he made reference to funding left behind by the previous administration.

“How long are you going to look under the hood?” one parent shouted.

The Minister responded: “We will also look to see if we can make any additional savings this year.”

Speaking afterward, Ms Foggo said she hoped Government would recognise the need for funding for mature students and those in financial need.

However, she allowed that Finance Minister Bob Richards had “made it clear during the Budget debate that the monies there are the monies there and there is no more”.