• The following statement was released today by Progressive Labour Party MP Michael Weeks
Michael Weeks, PLP MP

It is interesting that the same One Bermuda Alliance that saw 4 Education Ministers in five years, slashed scholarships and educational opportunities for Bermudians and on the issue of school mould at TN Tatem referred to teachers as “mischievous” suddenly has all the answers.

The mould issue is a legacy issue from the OBA administration. Most alarming is that the recommendations from the OBA’s own 2016 report was never fully implemented by the OBA and that is the cause for the reemergence of the issues we have now.

The PLP Government, after inheriting this issue, has commissioned renovations, tested the building both in February and in March to ensure the building was being worked on in order to be fit for students and staff.

Imagine where we would be and how much further along TN Tatem would be if instead of spending $250-300 million of public funds on the airport and instead had made our children and TN Tatem a priority and implemented ALL the recommendations from the TN Tatem 2016 mould report instead of the minimal effort that was put forth.

While the OBA seeks to exploit this extremely serious issue for political gain, their record demonstrates a complete lack of compassion, interest or vision for Bermudians of all ages and especially our children.

The OBA may disagree with further testing of the environment where our children and teachers work and breathe but our parents and teachers don’t.  This latest round of tests at TN Tatem was at their request.

The OBA may disagree with further testing but we believe we have a responsibility to take the necessary steps to rectify the specific problems first identified in 2016 and not fixed then.

The PLP believes investing the necessary resources to ensure our children are educated in safe schools. The PLP will not take lectures on public education from the One Bermuda Alliance who slashed public education, cut scholarships, cut investments and allowed public dollars to be poorly disbursed.

Our children deserve better.

MP Michael Weeks