Dear Editor,
Many years ago, when I was a youngster in school, emphasis was placed on the phrase 'silence is golden'. They were used as part of our penmanship exercises and also used as punishment for the talkative ones who were asked to write it 200 times.
Minister Thwaites and his advisors need to heed that advice. They are clearly clueless as far as leave and employment go. Long before the IMF was a boy, there has always been rejection of leave applications.
I worked in one of the regional offices of the ministry and, as far as I know, determination of leave and the recruitment of teachers were the remit of the regional director and his/her staff. The permanent secretary and the chief education officer allowed the directors a free hand to work the system and, despite the occasional dissatisfaction, it worked.
If it is not broken, leave it alone. The need for press conferences and announcements has served to disturb a nest that was previously unmolested and has given rise to 'Backra Massa mongrel dog sniffing coke'.
While the JTA and ministry officials continue their bickering, the children of Jamaica are no better off. Both parties need to understand that schooling is about children and not about us. They need to realise that if tomorrow morning no more children exist in Jamaica, there would be no need for the minister and the JTA.
I therefore urge the JTA to get its house in order and for the minister to write 500 times 'silence is golden'.
Ramadhin Bailey
ramadhinb@yahoo.com
Let the system work
-->
Many years ago, when I was a youngster in school, emphasis was placed on the phrase 'silence is golden'. They were used as part of our penmanship exercises and also used as punishment for the talkative ones who were asked to write it 200 times.
Minister Thwaites and his advisors need to heed that advice. They are clearly clueless as far as leave and employment go. Long before the IMF was a boy, there has always been rejection of leave applications.
I worked in one of the regional offices of the ministry and, as far as I know, determination of leave and the recruitment of teachers were the remit of the regional director and his/her staff. The permanent secretary and the chief education officer allowed the directors a free hand to work the system and, despite the occasional dissatisfaction, it worked.
If it is not broken, leave it alone. The need for press conferences and announcements has served to disturb a nest that was previously unmolested and has given rise to 'Backra Massa mongrel dog sniffing coke'.
While the JTA and ministry officials continue their bickering, the children of Jamaica are no better off. Both parties need to understand that schooling is about children and not about us. They need to realise that if tomorrow morning no more children exist in Jamaica, there would be no need for the minister and the JTA.
I therefore urge the JTA to get its house in order and for the minister to write 500 times 'silence is golden'.
Ramadhin Bailey
ramadhinb@yahoo.com
Let the system work
-->