Stakeholders welcome Dana as Minister of Education

EDUCATION SECTOR leaders on Wednesday approved the appointment of Minister of Information, Senator Dr. Dana Morris Dixon, as Minister of Education, while expressing the hope that she will bring new energy to the education transformation program now under preparation, along with the other demands of the super ministry.

Morris Dixon, whose appointment was announced by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness on Wednesday morning at the weekly post-Cabinet press conference at Jamaica House in Kingston, was catapulted into the post following the appointment of former Education Minister Fayval Williams as Finance Minister. Williams replaced Dr. Nigel Clarke, who left office on Wednesday to take up a position as deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

On Wednesday, Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) president Dr Mark Smith congratulated both women and said the JTA “looked forward to working with Morris Dixon to ensure we can move the system forward”.

“As an association, we are committed to working with all who understand the significance of education transforming the collective fortunes of Jamaicans, which is why she comes to the office at a critical time. We still need to achieve some of the objectives set out in the Patterson Report and we look forward to her role in injecting continued adrenaline into the process to move it forward,” Smith told the newspaper. Jamaican observer.

“I believe she will be able to build on the successes achieved by her predecessor, but of course to place greater emphasis on ensuring that we can improve spending on schools and have an impact on transforming the reality of the current classroom. he added.

The Education Transformation program is expected to improve the system in line with the 365 recommendations of the 2021 Professor Orlando Patterson Jamaica Education Transformation Commission Report. The Patterson Report recognized seven pillars of transformation within the education sector – namely governance, legislation, leadership and governance; early childhood education; curriculum education and teacher training; the tertiary sector, technical and vocational education and training; infrastructure and technology; and financing. Transforming the country’s education system will cost $280 billion over the next 20 years and $166 billion in the first seven years of the program. The recommendations will be implemented over an eight-year period from 2023 to 2031, with the Education Transformation and Oversight Committee (ETOC) monitoring the process.

Meanwhile, the JTA president, commenting on the elevation of the former education minister, said: “She holds a position that has never been held by a woman before, so we congratulate her on breaking that glass ceiling, which means a lot to her has delivered. hope for young ladies on this island that they can hold any office in the country.

“We’ve already had a female Prime Minister, now we have a Chancellor of the Exchequer who is a lady, and so I think we have a positive conclusion in that regard and a wonderful opportunity for motivation for young ladies,” said Smith.

On Wednesday, president of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools (JAPSS) Linvern Wright, while noting that he was not aware of Morris Dixon’s involvement in the education sector, said: “I trust that the government has been deliberate in the way they made the appointment.”

“We are concerned about some things, like the way the transformation is going; we don’t think this is on the right track, and we hope that one of the things that she will take on first is to make sure that there are very clear objectives, that the transformation is properly financed, and that we look at those objectives. things we can afford to do and not try to do everything,” he told the newspaper Observer.

He further said that the JAPSS is “concerned that it appears that the narrative of transformation is being co-opted by the ministry itself.”

“I think ETOC needs to be steadfast in ensuring that they respond to us in a meaningful way and that there is more consultation about the goals we have for education and that we are realistic about the goals we have and focus on them concentrate. that are possible in the short term,” Wright explains.

“I really wish her all the best and I really hope that for the sake of education and children, we have the kind of leadership we need to get education where it needs to be,” he said.

Wright added: “My essential point is that I want a minister of education where the ministry is not about talking about, but about results, about collaboration and about ensuring that stakeholders have a say and also making sure that we do those things . necessary to make education work. We need a firm hand and a clear direction on where education should go, just to ensure that we take the kind of steps that education doesn’t leave behind, even after talk of transformation.”

Meanwhile, National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica (NPTAJ) President Stewart Jacobs, in congratulating both ministers, said: “The NPTAJ will miss Minister Williams for the relationship she has built with us over the years by attending our meetings. positions, endorse our efforts and support us in many ways.”

“She was a minister we could almost always turn to for advice and she would from time to time ask us for advice on matters relating to the school system and parents,” he told the Observer.

Noting that Morris Dixon’s appointment comes at a critical time in the school year with external exams looming, he said: “What is very important is that the Minister’s transition does not impact the day-to-day activities of the ministry, which will extend to impacting our students as we move forward.”

Morris Dixon, Minister without Portfolio in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Information, Skills and Digital Transformation, is a 2004 Fulbright Scholar and an alum of the University of the West Indies (UWI), where she received a bachelor’s degree. of Science in Economics (First Class Honours) and a Master of Science in Government (Distinction). She is also a graduate of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, where she completed a PhD in International Studies, as well as the Harvard Business School executive program. Morris Dixon was a senior executive of the Jamaica National Group and managing director of JN General Insurance Limited.

She has executed numerous large-scale strategic projects including the launch of the first Caribbean bank to be licensed in the UK in 2020, as well as the reorganization of the Jamaica National Group which created JN Bank and the new group structure in 2017. Following her secondment from the JN Group at the Bank of Jamaica, she also led the successful completion of the 2021 National Risk Assessment for Jamaica, a key component of the Jamaica Financial Action Task Force (FATF) action plan. She has also held senior public sector positions in the Prime Minister’s Office and Jamaica Promotions Corporation (Jampro).

Her career began at The UWI, where she taught several courses at undergraduate and graduate level. During her tenure at The UWI, she also worked on the Jamaica Economy Project, which was the precursor to the successful Caribbean Policy Research Institute. Passionate about education, she served on the Jamaica Education Transformation Commission and the Archdiocese of Kingston Education Commission. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Campion College.