OPPOSITION education spokesman Senator Damion Crawford has expressed skepticism that the Andrew Holness-led administration can turn around what he says is a failing education system.

Crawford, responding to Wednesday’s appointment of former Education Minister Fayval Williams as finance minister and the appointment of Senator Dana Morris Dixon as the new education minister, said any “change” in the ministry’s leadership was “welcome”. He described Senator Morris Dixon as “enthusiastic and learned”.

“We expect her to give her best, but the issues we have with education, however, are not personal and therefore the ideological differences that exist between the National People’s Party and the Jamaica Labor Party give us little hope that the right policies will be implemented for the education transformation we want to see, but we remain willing to support and advise as much as we can and will continue to be at the forefront of teachers, parents and students who, unfortunately, are robbed of a reasonable opportunity. through our education system,” a caustic Crawford said Thursday.

Williams replaced the former Minister of Finance, Dr. Nigel Clarke, who resigned on Wednesday to take up a post as deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

According to Crawford, the Opposition “hopes to see dramatic change and change in the way the ministry of education currently operates and the ministry’s unfortunate attitude of blaming teachers for any failure they have”.

He added: “The opposition welcomes any change that has been made from the failures of the former education minister and expects, given that the bar has been set so low that any individual willing to put their shoulders to the wheel should be able to do better than what we were seeing in the execution of educational improvements and the outcomes we were getting from education,” Crawford said bluntly.

Meanwhile, he ardently congratulated his former government counterpart on her elevation.

“I congratulate Fayval Williams on his promotion. I hope she understands and recognizes that equal performance will not be accepted in that ministry but at the same time, being the first woman to lead the Ministry of Finance, I congratulate her and wish her the best and hope she is more aligned and au fait. Her training seems to be more aligned and perhaps her interest is more aligned with that ministry than with the Ministry of Education. So, on a personal note, I congratulate and indeed thank her for the efforts she has made in education, but I assume she finds a better match for her talents, interest, and training in this ministry than she did- o in the Ministry of Education.” Crawford said.

Morris Dixon, who served as Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Information, Skills and Digital Transformation, is a 2004 Fulbright Scholar and an alum of the University of the West Indies (UWI), where he completed a B.A. of Science in Economics (First Class Honours) and a Master of Science in Government (Distinction). She is also a graduate of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, where she completed a PhD in International Studies, as well as the Harvard Business School Executive Program.

Williams is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) by profession, holds an MBA with a concentration in finance from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA (cum laude) in economics from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

— Alicia Dunkley-Willis