TNAG-1124-FCO40-1399-Implementation-of-the-International-Covenant-on-Economic--So-1982 — Page 40

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English Page 34

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Introduction

Bermuda is located in the Atlantic Ocean, some 650 miles due east of Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A., and about 750 miles from New York. With a land area of approximately 22 square miles and a resident population of 57,000 which includes a fair-sized international community, it is the oldest colony in the Commonwealth.

Bermuda's economy is based on tourism and international business. It has a growing reputation as a leading offshore corporate centre.

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3. There is no problem of unemployment.

Education system

Although government grants to primary education began in 1816, an education system as we would define it today started with the Schools Act, 1879, and is based on the traditional British pattern.

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The Education Act, 1949, established the right of all children within what was then the compulsory school age (7 to 13) to receive free primary education.

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6. By 1969, compulsory school age had been expanded to five to sixteen years of age, and all children within that age range are entitled to free primary and secondary education.

Accommodation

The government system is comprised of 18 primary schools, 9 secondary, 6 special schools and 11 nursery units. In addition, there are four all-age private schools which receive no government financial aid.

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8. In September 1979, the total enrolment for government and private schools was 11,757, down from a peak enrolment of 13,242 in 1971. This smaller enrolment reflects a marked drop in the number of live births in Bermuda from 1,107 in 1971, to 779 in 1979.

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As a result of this rapidly declining birth rate, there are about 1,500 more places available in our primary and secondary schools than students. It is obvious that if the decline in the number of live births continues, some schools will ha ve to be closed down.

Staff and teacher training

10. Approximately 40 per cent of Bermuda's 740 teachers are non-Bermudian, recruited mainly from the United Kingdom although there are a few from the United States, Canada, Jamaica and Barbados.

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Although there is no teacher training institution in Bermuda, it is a long established government policy to subsidize the education and training abroad of all Bermudians who wish to become schoolteachers. There are no untrained teachers in Bermuda.

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