Amid concerns in recent times relative to the perceived politicisation of some school boards locally, Education and Youth Minister, Fayval Williams, has declared that the issue is not as widespread as it was before.
As it stands now, politics is not dominant in various school administrations as the public may perceive, Williams has asserted.
“I know there was a situation in the past… one or two. There’s a perception out there that politics is dominant in our schools, but from where I’m sitting, I don’t see that,” Williams insisted.
She made the claim during the ‘Good Morning Minister’ radio programme hosted by Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) with responsibility for information, Robert Morgan, on Wednesday.
Overtime, Members of Parliament (MPs) have traditionally been involved in recommending members for school boards and, in some cases, to sit as board chairpersons.
“As we are about to change boards at schools, we have sensitisation sessions with our Members of Parliament (MPs) to walk them through the process of how boards are selected, what we are looking for in our board chairs, and so on,” Williams stated.
She said a platform was recently launched for school boards to upload the minutes of their meetings.
This, said Williams, allows the ministry to assess “the issues that are under consideration” by school boards, and to determine whether they are, in fact, meeting as stipulated by the ministry.
“We have streamlined the administrative process, so when school boards come up for renewal, they happen on time. Very few schools, if any, are without a… board now because I take governance seriously,” the minister stated.
