New chief education officer appointed

Saturday, November 21, 2009 7:56 AM

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Sunday, November 08, 2009

EDUCATOR Grace McLean has been appointed the new chief education officer in the Ministry of Education.

Clement Radcliffe... has been appointed to the post of deputy chief education officer for schools' operations, effective January 4, 2010.

McLean, who was employed to the ministry as deputy chief education officer for school operations, replaces the now- retired Jasper Lawrence, effective November 9.

A release from the ministry said McLean's proven track record in educational leadership and management has prepared her to take on this new role.

"Mrs McLean joins the Ministry of Education as it enters a new phase of the Education Transformation Process focussing on the modernisation of the ministry," the ministry said. "One of the areas of focus for the modernisation will be the establishment of regional education agencies in which she will be playing an integral role."

The new chief education officer is a trained teacher and human resource practitioner. She taught for five years at St Jago High School, where she also served as head of the home economics department. McLean also had a distinguished career at the HEART Trust/NTA - an agency of the Ministry of Education - for more than 14 years. Her final position there was senior programmes director.

McLean is presently pursuing a doctoral programme in social sciences with the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, focusing on productivity improvement in the public sector. She holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration [Human Resource Management] from the University of the West Indies and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education (Home Economics) from the University of Technology.

She has pursued a postgraduate leadership and educational administration course in collaboration with the Swedish Institute of Development and the Vocational Training Development Institute.

"Her wealth of experience and technical skills which include Strategic Planning, Log Frame Planning and Balance Scorecard Methodologies, Change Management, Business Process Improvement, as well as Behavioural Interviewing Techniques, have assisted in preparing her for this post," the ministry noted.

McLean is currently the technical delegate to WorldSkills International for Jamaica, a position she has held since 2004. She has been instrumental in building the WorldSkills Jamaica programme and worked with the team that won the bid over Singapore in 2007 to stage the WorldSkills International General Assembly - an event that will take place in Jamaica next October.

Meanwhile, the ministry also appointed Clement Radcliffe, the principal of Glenmuir High School, to the post of deputy chief education officer for schools' operations, effective January 4, 2010.

"Mr Radcliffe brings to the post a wealth of experience in schools' operation and leadership in civic society. He became principal of Glenmuir High School in Clarendon in 1982. During his tenure he was lauded for his work in education, sports, community relations and youth development," the ministry said.

He holds a Master's Degree and a Bachelor of Science Degree with first-class honours from the University of the West Indies (UWI), as well as a Diploma in Education, also from the UWI.

As an educator and avid sportsman, he has represented his country on numerous boards and committees. These include the advisory committee of the National Development Foundation, the Inter-secondary School Sports Association, and the Overseas Examinations Committee. He has been co-ordinator of Jamaica's involvement in the Penn Relays since 1982.

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