Commissioner Of Education Being Recruited

February 19, 2013

The Ministry of Education advised today [Feb 19] that it has started the recruitment process of seeking a new Commissioner of Education to succeed current Commissioner, Mrs. Wendy McDonell, when she retires this summer.

The Commissioner of Education will be responsible for leading the Department of Education.

According to the Board of Education Chair, Mr. Curtis Dickinson, “As the Board of Education, we believe that getting the right person into the post of Commissioner of Education is not just important for the education system; it is critical to the future sustainability of our Island.

“As we embark on a recruitment process, we want to be transparent and to communicate the procedures we will follow to select the best person for the job.

“The Commissioner of Education is the senior education leader in the country. They are responsible to ensure that our educators and schools provide the framework that will allow our young people to become productive and positive citizens.

“The Education Act requires the Board of Education to make recommendations to the Public Service Commission regarding the appointment of the Commissioner of Education.”

In January, the Permanent Secretary of Education wrote to and received permission from the Public Service Commission to advertise this post both locally and overseas.

Mr. Dickinson explained that this decision was taken to ensure that there is a credible pool of qualified applicants.

As such a recruitment panel has been established and will include:

  • Board Chair – Mr. Curtis Dickinson
  • Deputy Chair – Mrs. Kim Wilkerson
  • Secretary to the Cabinet – Mr. Donald Scott
  • Bermuda College President – Dr. Duranda Green
  • Permanent Secretary of Education – Mr. Warren Jones; and
  • Senior Human Resource Manager – Mrs. Germaine Trott

A Ministry spokesperson said, “Following a review of their applications, a shortlisted pool of qualified candidates will be interviewed. They will be questioned regarding the soft skills and will also be required to respond to technical questions that will demonstrate their understanding and experience of the role of Commissioner.

“The candidates will then be required to provide a presentation on one of a series of educational topics that will be given to them in advance of the interview. They will also be required to provide a written submission which will be completed at the conclusion of the interview and be based on educational topics provided in the interview.

“From that process, the pool of candidates will be further refined to just two or three individuals who the panel believe to include the successful candidate. These candidates would then be assessed through a professional centre assessing emotional intelligence, personality profile, performance management and leadership.

“As a final step, this group will undergo interviews with representatives of our educator stakeholders including principals, teachers and parents.”

Mr. Dickinson said, “I must take this opportunity to thank our present Commissioner of Education Mrs. Wendy McDonell, who will be retiring this summer.

“Although I have only had the pleasure of knowing the Commissioner for some three months, during that time, the interaction I have had with her has allowed me to see the depth of her knowledge of Education and the commitment she brought for the children of Bermuda.

“I can state without doubt that the public education system is in a better place than when she took up the post.”

He concluded, “The Board takes this responsibility very seriously. This will be an extensive and rigourous process which will hopefully result in a new Commissioner of Education being in place for school opening in September 2013.

“Our children and Bermuda’s future deserve nothing less than a process that gives us every opportunity to select the best possible candidate.”

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Comments (29)

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  1. BTW says:

    Not one person on that “recruitment panel” has a child in the public education system. That speaks volumes in and of itself.

    Secondly, with the exception of Dr Greene, none of the panel members have any background in education….i doubt sincerely that they can assess one persons resume from another…oxford…cambridge…gcse…vs. gse vs.rsa…german to them….why not include people like Beverly Daniels, Carlos Symonds, Linda Parker – people who know the curriculae and issues contained in the systems today…Makes no sense to me. Non educators to select our top dog educator?

    • Thought says:

      Mr. Warren Jones is also an educator. He taught at Warwick Academy in the 1980s.

    • Tooth Fairy says:

      I don’t many of the people that you mentioned by I agree with your suggesstion of Linda Parker.

    • James Rogers says:

      BTW,

      The fact is that at least one person on the “recruitment panel” does have a child in the public education system. However, that shouldn’t matter. THe folks who serve on the Board do so because of their desire to IMPROVE the public school system for the benefit of all Bermudians.

  2. Ringmaster says:

    All the talk concerning work permit holders needing to have a Bermudian under them to train and take over, yet here is a situation where the retirement cannot have been unexpected, yet there has been no one being trained to take over. What happened to planning for succession? This is yet another example of the knee jerk reaction in the public sector. Is no one capable of management these days?

    • Deliverance says:

      the civil service couldn’t run a bath are you surprised?

  3. Well Done says:

    I appreciate the transparency and caliber that this process entails. As a private school educator I can say that there are a few individuals that I know who already work in MOE that should be able to apply for the post based on the criteria above. The stakeholders will have weight on the decision and I’m sure there is succession planning occurring. We must not assume the worst simply because this is the Public School system.

  4. Rockfish# 2 says:

    “The Commissioner of Education will be responsible for leading the Department of Education.

    What is the difference between the Commissioner’s job and that of the Permanent Secretary’s?

    Does Bermuda’s very small number of schools and students need a Commissioner? We need to stop wasting money on a very top heavy and expensive office staff and spend it on the essentials for our students!

    • Jokes says:

      If you think those two roles could ever be combined I have a left handed hammer for sale. Two very different jobs both positions entail a lot of work and to think one person could do both is very unrealistic. One job revolves around developing and implementing policies, and advising the Minister the other focuses on the actual curriculum and the direction of the education system. Do major companies need a CEO and a COO? Hmmm I wonder why that is..?? Oh right , because one person can’t do both jobs…because they focus on different areas……makes sense now? Good.

      • Rockfish#2 says:

        @Jokes,

        Your attempt at comedy/sarcasm is pathetic, and I suspect you are one of the dead wood in that Ministry. Or perhaps a friend or relative of one.

        In any case, please read all the comments again, and respond as if you had some powers of comprehension.

        BTW, if you are the resident comedian, don’t give up your day job.

  5. Floyd Swan says:

    Why not Dame Jennifer Smih for the post

  6. Vote for Me says:

    My hope is that there is an objective evaluation of the candidates and the panel chooses someone who is genuinely capable of leading the Education for our children.

    One fundamental criteria should be that the person sent their own children to public school. We have to move entirely away from people who pretend to have confidence in the public school system but choose to send their children to private schools. Such a position is simply intolerable. Whilst persons from private schools may assist in some capacity, it is a farce to have them lead in anyway.

    As the old saying goes… actions speak louder than words. Know also that our young children understand this concept, notwithstanding that they may not be able to articulate it.

    • Mad Dawg says:

      It would be nice if, just for once, we could just hire the absolute best person available. I don’t care where they’re from. I don’t care what colour they are. I don’t care whether they went to a public school. I’d like the person who would make the best job of leading the Education Department. We’ve had 14 years of filling the place with cronies and placeholders. I’d actually like my children to get the best education possible, as the first and ONLY priority.

    • Sandgrownan says:

      It’s a fair point, but it costs less to educate a child (per child) in the private school system, than it does to educate in the public schools.

    • Out n about says:

      Where’s the Like Button

    • Deliverance says:

      well, while i get your point about hiring someone who at least has confidence in the public school system the fact of the matter is that private schools better educate their charges at a lower cost that public schools. so it would be an advantage to have SOMEONE who knows what they’re doing. after all, we ALL want the same thing: the best education for the least cost.

  7. watchfuleyes says:

    There are a few Bermudians in our midst who are quite suitable and should be contenders for that position. What is wrong with this Island? Disrespect again on so many levels.

    • Zombie Apocalypse says:

      What we really need in this position is the absolute best person available, whether Bermudian or not.

      Settling for 2nd best would be letting down all the kids in the education system. Just for once, let’s put their interests first, and hire the best person available.

  8. Prayerful says:

    I do know that Donald Scott’s children who are now adults, did attend Public School. I do not know any of the other people on the committee, except Curtis Dickinson, the chairman whose children attend school

  9. Sandgrownan says:

    It’s more fundamental than just hiring the best teachers or administrators. Education begins in the home, and it begins with decent role models in the home.
    Part of the reason private schools are successful from an acdemic basis, is that generally most students are from stable family backgrounds where the parents or guardians have made significant investment in the education of their child. It’s bound to bring success even for less than gifted students.

    There’s no doubt that the Dept. of Ed is bloated and that funds could be better spent on the right teachers, fixing roofs and better equipment., but to fix this, we need the community to say collectively that “learning is cool”. There’s a societal angle that no amount of cash will fix.

  10. Vote for Me says:

    I note the comments about private schools costing less than public schools. If you check the facts you might be surprised to know that is incorrect fro several individual families.

    A quick example is that public schools cater to all children, including those with physical or other challenges without extra costs to the parents. Ask any parent with a child in the private schools with a special needs child. They are often required to privately hire (and pay for) the specialist care that there child needs (i.e. the full salary of a paraprofessional).

    In the public system, teh specialist care is paid for by the ‘system’ which adds inordinate costs to the average amount that is paid for each child.

    My suggestion is to at least have all children take the same test at various levels throughout age 5 to 16. The results should then be published since many public school children are doing better than most think.

    With respect to private schools they should also be required to track the transfer of students from private to public and the reasons therefore.

    I stand by my comment that the Commissioner of Education should at least have their own children in the public system.

    • Zombie Apocalypse says:

      And I stand by my comment that we should get the best possible person, regardless of where they are from, and regardless of where their children go to school. Those things are irrelevent. The only relevant issue is whether we get the absolute best person in this postion. Our children (and we’re talking mostly about the kids in public education) should get the best we can find, without compromise.

      • Vote for Me says:

        No problem.

        Would you send your child to a doctor B based on your doctor’s (doctor A) recommendation if your doctor refused to use doctor B?

        • Zombie Apocalypse says:

          In your example Doctor A is now working at doctor B’s office full time, improving it, and making it world class, instead of the disaster it currently is.

          When you get past the gobbledygook, ask yourself whether we want the absolute best person in this job, or whether we want to make up stupid criteria that are completely irrelevant.

          • Billy Mays says:

            IN fact, one could easily argue that anyone currently sending their children to government schools thinks they’re all just fine and dandy, which alone should disqualify such a candidate.
            It’s just idiotic to limit the search for such a critical position based on criteria that are in no way relevant to the job to be done. What a concept; do what’s best for the children, politics be damned. I have faith that the new government will make an excellent choice based on rational criteria.

            • Zombie Apocalypse says:

              As you said:

              “…what a concept: do what’s best for the children”.

              Exactly.

  11. Bobmarlin says:

    How about Jinx?