Dear Sir,

The Bermuda Government plans to roll out a digitised national identity programme based on blockchain technology early next year. The Premier, David Burt, said that it was part of a digital transformation that he believes will culminate in “completely paperless government” within five years. This proposed transformation is a bold move and most certainly the result of the tidal wave of global technology, which is changing the way we live, work and function.

It is encouraging to think that this administration appears to be continuing on in the footsteps of the previous government’s efforts, with regard to increasing efficiency and — hopefully — reducing the cost of government, and this I applaud. We should expect that during the design and implementation stage, there will be increased costs owing to the necessity of duplicate systems running. Once the transfer is complete, we hope the end goal will be worth it.

A paperless government service will radically change/reduce the physical footprint of the number of people working in the Civil Service. The question that begs to be asked is, how this transformation will affect those working directly in the Civil Service?

Now, to be clear, I have always been a supporter of smaller government and the cost-efficient delivery of its services. But my concern here is that there will likely be redundancies and, therefore, what jobs will there be for those whose posts are no longer needed? Will they be retrained for new roles or will they have to find work in the private sector? If so, in what capacity?

The adage “With a solution comes a problem” springs to mind.

Unemployment statistics in Bermuda have not improved much over the past few years and the continuing effects of automation and artificial intelligence on our economy are going to be very clear and disruptive to employment levels in the foreseeable future.

With that in mind, I ask how well our public school system is adjusting the curriculum to keep up with the technological needs of the ever-shifting global economy, in which Bermuda plays an important role? Have they been focusing on science, maths and technology? On a more basic level, have overall test scores and graduation rates improved? Are our students being prepared with the skill sets that this new 21st-century economy requires?

In that regard, it should be recognised that in February this administration put forward a National Workforce Development Plan, which includes revising education ministry school curriculums to include “experiential”-type learning opportunities for students and faculty to better understand the needs of the business environment — a topic for another letter.

In the meantime, we keep reading in The Royal Gazette of gangs of young men, many of school age, who are hanging out in neighbourhoods at all hours of the day, taking part in antisocial behaviour and drug dealing.

Why are they not in school or why are they unemployed? Do they have any marketable skill sets? Did they even finish high school?

I realise that there is an important social aspect to the issue, which is just as relevant as the education factor and possibly more complex — a topic that cannot be adequately covered in this letter. Existing government social services can and should assist wherever possible, but ultimately, we all know that core family values are taught in the home and are critical to shaping every child’s future. But the Government cannot and should not be expected to solve all problems for all people

The Ministry of Education and Workforce Development does, however, have full control over the management and quality of its public education product, and as a result, has the responsibility for preparing students for this new economy, which it is cultivating at present. Fingers must be pointed to them when we know that, regardless of how many different commissioners or education ministers we have, the public’s perception is that nothing improves.

Why is it that our two senior secondary schools routinely receive dismal grades from students, parents, potential employers and often even teachers and administrators themselves? And why is it that even when the government cost to educate a child is more than it is in the private school system, public school grades and graduation results are much lower?

Only the ministry can answer these questions, and it never does. It has been said by some that we have had an unequal, two-tiered education system for many years, which most certainly is the reason why many of our political leaders and others choose the costly alternative of private education for their children. That speaks volumes.

Our expensive, decades-old, crumbling public education system, filled with inefficiency, nepotism and cronyism, keeps stumbling down the road, leaving many children in its wake. The protectionist “don’t rock the boat” mentality is alive and well throughout the management of our Civil Service, and this was well documented in the Sage report.

This, for the most part, is why nothing changes.

I say that to say this: no amount of an infusion of the informational technology, artificial intelligence, fintech or blockchain business into our economy will make much of a difference for the economic future of many Bermudians in the workplace if the Government continues to ignore:

1, The continuing, legacy effects of a broken public education system

2, The very loud pleas by parents and teachers to reform it

Change is coming, but the elephant remains in the room.

BEVERLEY CONNELL

Pembroke