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Wayne Robinson, the long-time acting principal of Jamaica College (JC), has been appointed principal of St Andrew’s School for Boys.
Lance Hylton, chairman of the board of trustees, said Robinson’s confirmation was made effective Sept. 1, 2022, by the Department of Education.
“The entire Jamaica College school community is delighted with this long-awaited development as Robinson … leads the school with excellence and distinction,” he said in a press statement.
Robinson, 61, has been acting president of JC since March 2016, when former president Ruel Reid left the post to take a deliberate leave to become education secretary.
In March 2019, Reed resigned as Secretary of Education after being embroiled in a corruption scandal and criminal charges.
However, Reid officially served as JC’s president until his resignation in November 2021.
Acting Chief Education Officer Terry-Ann Thomas Gayle informed Hilton in a letter dated August 2, 2024, that the Department of Education had approved Robinson’s permanent appointment and directed that he be notified in writing.
Raising concerns about eligibility
The Teachers Service Commission, which is responsible for appointments to senior positions in the education system, initially raised concerns in May 2022, noting that Robinson had “no experience as a training teacher in a public education institution for three years”.
It pleaded with the JC board: “Please submit a letter justifying the board’s selection and requesting a waiver of the requirements to hold the position.”
In response, the junior college board highlighted a letter written in October 2019 by then-acting chief education officer Dr. Kasan Troupe, which noted that Robinson qualified as a graduate with his master’s degree from Western Carolina University in the United States.
“They (the Department of Education) have since confirmed that his qualifications … exceed the requirements,” Hilton reiterated in an interview. The Gleaners yesterday.
In response to a question about Robinson’s acting status in May 2024, Troup, now the department’s permanent secretary, said two things influenced the final decision.
She said the service committee was still assessing the junior college committee’s recommendations and the ministry was waiting for schools to respond to an audit requested by Education Minister Fayval Williams.
“We did not find any issues from the report that we did not find in other schools,” Troup said at a news conference after a May 29 cabinet meeting, without disclosing any specific findings. “We are addressing those issues and once they are addressed, as we have communicated to the board, the minister will give direction on that matter.”
Yesterday, the chairman of the JC board said The Gleaners “The ministry subsequently stated that they were satisfied with the investigations and other checks that had been done and therefore they confirmed his (Robinson’s) employment”.
Hilton also said the question about Robinson’s eligibility had been “resolved,” pointing to Troup’s October 2019 letter.
“They (the ministry) have since confirmed that his qualifications…exceed the requirements.”
Robinson is a long-time educator and a director and former principal of the private education provider Quality Academics.
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