Neocolonialism and Education Reform: An Intersection between Moral Agency and Revolution

Inherent in neocolonial systems of power is the perpetuation of racism, injustice, and inequity reinforced in education systems. In Bermuda, this phenomenon is exemplified by the division between public and private education and the relative inequities and outcome deficits in public education. The divide is systemic and sustained by government policies, which preserve a racial stratification in educational and economic attainment by stopping short of transformational changes that would close the divide. The community at large inadvertently reinforces this divide when they attempt to circumvent the possible negative impact of a public education on their children. Transformative change requires a vision of what public education can and should become, accompanied by action to close the divide that transcends the bounds of the neocolonial legacy. Extracting the community from entrenchment in neocolonialism requires commitment to the development of human capital, understanding that excellence in public education is fundamental to creating avenues of change for the community at large and will contribute to the sustainability of Bermuda.