School boards playground of partisan politics
Published:Tuesday | September 18, 2018 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
I am writing in response to your Gleaner Editors' Forum story published on September 18, 2018 ('National Council on Education will not be revamped'), regarding the Jamaica Teachers' Association's (JTA) pronouncement about the speculated revamping of the National Council on Education (NCE).
I am still wondering which hemisphere or time zone the JTA is operating in, as its naive approach to matters affecting Jamaica's education system is mind-boggling. Is the JTA not aware that partisan politics currently exists in the appointment and running of school boards in 2018?
If they were in tune with what is going on within the education system, they would have realised that many of these school board chairmen are autocratic in their stewardship, many times shutting out other board members.
The JTA and NCE should re-examine themselves and assess their roles to evaluate if they really serve the interests of our future generation or their affiliates.
The conceptualisers behind the NCE would not be pleased with the current state of affairs. A few school boards have been operating in a manner that breaches the Education Code & Regulations.
ROGER PINADO