Education Minister stands by the appointment of Alphansus Davis

Education Minister Andrew Holness is maintaining his stance regarding the appointment of Alphansus Davis to chair the Teachers' Service Commission (TSC) despite renewed calls for the former high school principal to step down.

In a statement on Tuesday, the People’s National Party noted that Mr. Davis has also been appointed to chair the Board of Governors at the Edwin Allen High School.

According to Senator Basil Waite, the Opposition Spokesman on Education, the development strengthens the Opposition's call for the Education Minister to rescind Mr. Davis' appointment to the TSC as it is further evidence of the conflict of interest that exists on many levels.

He further pointed to the possibility that Mr. Davis could be asked to investigate himself should a governance issue arise at Edwin Allen High and Spalding Primary where he recently demitted a similar position.

But Mr. Holness is adamant there is no conflict in the appointments.

“It's one thing to make accusations and raise alarm, it’s another thing to actually provide information that would substantiate the accusations that are made and we have acted within the law,” Mr. Holness said. 

The Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) has said it will not attend meetings of the Commission until the Education Minister rescinds Mr. Davis' appointment to chair the TSC.

The JTA had previously claimed that Mr. Davis' appointment presents a conflict of interest as he's an advisor to the Education Minister.