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Congratulations to journalists Gary Moreno and Matthew Taylor for being perhaps the first journalists to directly challenge Education Minister Terry Lister on some of the claims he's been making recently.

Mr. Moreno asked Terry Lister for his response to claims that appalling results on previous Terra Nova tests were because government schools don't teach the curriculum that the exams seek to test. If true, of course, this would mean the fact that the teachers' action has disrupted these tests really wouldn't be that important. An uncomfortable Mr. Lister responded with a 'no comment'.

Mr. Moreno then challenged Mr. Lister about his assertion that teachers only work 200 days a year. What about all the extra work they put in? he asked. The Minister, clearly flustered by this challenege, declined to comment again.

The question over the hours teachers work was also put to Mr. Lister by Royal Gazette journalist Matthew Taylor. The Minister's response was classic Lister bluster:

"That's a discussion bigger and broader than where we stand right now. There is nothing to stop us, at the end of this round of negotiations, starting a discussion like that. That sort of discussion takes quite a while to work through. It's not something that we, finding ourselves in the position we are right now, would throw on the table or expect the union to throw on the table."

Huh? Does the man not realise that's what the whole dispute is about?

Thank God that at least some of Bermuda's journalists are dropping their traditionally deferential tone and starting to confront our politicians directly about the crap they come out with.

Comments

[loki on 20.05.04 at 10:34]

My reaction was the same. Basically, he seems to be saying, "Let's reach agreement on the pay issue and then we might sit down and discuss the extra time and days that the teachers say they work above and beyond the regular working hours". What???? That's what the pay dispute is about, you foolish man!

[Tiger Bay on 20.05.04 at 14:17]

What he's saying is "we'll do what we want and then give you an opportunity to voice your opinion and seek your rights."

Kind of like Calvin Smith's comment (my outraged rephrasing) that "the PLP would stop being racist if you white people would join us."

And while I'm at it: the focus on Mr Ahad the teacher has been on his allegedly fake credentials. But it was OK for him to rant about "the white man" to a student assembly??