By Damion Mitchell, Staff Reporter
Reid: "I am running for the JTA because I am committed to building Jamaica through education."
- Contributed
Today, The Gleaner presents the fourth in a series of features on the candidates contesting in the 2004/05 Jamaica Teachers' Association's president-elect vote slated for June 21 to 25. See part five tomorrow.
RUEL BANCROFT Reid has had many successes as an educator but, to be elected president of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) for 2005/06, would be his most significant attainment.
A master teacher at Munro College in Malvern, St. Elizabeth, Mr. Reid, who turns 38 on June 19, is the only candidate vying in the upcoming presidential elections who is not a principal.
But he does not feel this will affect his chances at the polls. "I am about transformational leadership," he said. "I am running for the JTA because I am committed to building Jamaica through education."
He said that the fact that there were five persons contesting the presidency was a good thing. "The association is on a strategic path so the fact that we have five candidates only augurs well for the association in that we are putting out there people of quality to let the teachers choose, we will have more interest in the leadership," he said.
Mr. Reid, who has been teaching for eight years, said he was concerned about the elitism in the education system, reflected in, among other things, the placement of students in high schools. "I want to make a change in the system to ensure that there is quality education made available to all Jamaicans," he said. He is also disappointed with the treatment of early childhood education by successive governments.
COMMUNICATION IS KEY
Mr. Reid told The Gleaner on Wednesday that the 2005/06 JTA president would face a difficult challenge to "reconnect" teachers with the association who have become disinterested because of its failure to effectively communicate with them. "It is an unfortunate culture in the society that people in leadership do not find the time to communicate with people," said Mr. Reid.
On his agenda as JTA president is the encouragement of further partnerships with the private sector to solicit more funds for education. He suggested that there could be arrangements for the private sector to donate to education half of one per cent of the interest paid out on government securities. According to him, the JTA has the moral authority to forge this consensus with stakeholders who were interested in education.
PUBLISHED
Mr. Reid, the Assistant Chief Examiner of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examin-ation (CAPE), has been successful in promoting the examination in the region and in 2001, published a book Challenges to Caribbean Development 2000 that is now used as a textbook in CAPE's Caribbean Studies.
He was also at the forefront of successful discussions years ago, against government's suggestion to remove the subsidy it provided for boarding institutions.
Top 10 goals if elected to the office of JTA President
To unify and strengthen the JTA through effective communication and education of members about the association's activities.
To implement the recommendations of the JTA's Strategic Plan.
To promote the welfare and development of all categories of teachers through transparent and uncompromising advocacy.
To negotiate and implement expeditiously, the best salary and conditions of service
package possible.
To advocate for 20 per cent motor vehicle concession for all teachers after 10 years of service.
To advocate for teachers to be paid for marking School Based Assessments.
To increase to 10 per cent, the number of teachers eligible for study leave and 10 per cent for vacation leave.
Advocate for an expansion of the Revolving Loan Fund for teachers parity degree programmes.
Equity in payment to graduates of accredited programmes.
Advocate for the use of the Education Tax for infrastructure development and learning resources only.
