Gov't manipulated gaps in Education Act to Ruel Reid's advantage - Wright

 

Linvern Wright, President of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools, has said the government should accept blame in the handling of the Ruel Reid special leave debacle.

 

Mr. Wright said it is clear that the government manipulated the gaps in the Education Act to its and Mr. Reid's advantage.

 

He argued that impending reforms to the legislation to deal with situations such as the controversy surrounding the leave arrangements for Mr. Reid, will not eliminate loopholes.

 

He believes that the Ministry of Education should have met with Mr. Reid, instead of passing the responsibility to the Jamaica College board. 

 

"If it is that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education had sat down with Ruel Reid and said, we in good faith, believing in your ethics and every single thing, gave you this position. You have done something that could affect the school. We need to talk to you. If you do not have that credibility to talk to him, then how could you have put him in a position like that? And I think that it is lack of that kind of fortitude that has put this situation where it is now that we have to be talking about it now," he insisted while speaking Wednesday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106.