Minister of Education Ronald Jones got an earful yesterday when he called primary and secondary school principals together for a major meeting at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre ahead of the start of classes Monday.
At the closed-door session from which the Press was barred, president of the Association of Principals of Public Primary Schools, Ivan Clarke, called for “parity” in remuneration with colleagues at the secondary level and the end to disrespect of “the CEOs of the schools” by officials in the Ministry of Education.
Stating he was glad the media was not present so there could be a free exchange, Clarke also advised against the practice of admonishing principals in public and warned “we are cognizant of those who seek to destroy for cheap political gain or to influence the weak among us to do silly things”.
To loud applause from the audience, the veteran educator and school administrator spoke of members of his profession being treated as second-class citizens doing a first-class job.
