LUCEA, Hanover — PAST President of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) Wentworth Gabbidon is urging more women to aim for the top post in the almost 50-year-old organisation.

"So, ladies and gentlemen, we need a momentum now with the aim of getting women into leadership of the association. Not just at the district and parish level, we need to put you (women) also into the national chair," implored Gabbidon.

Gabbidon made the call while addressing the JTA Hanover Parish Association Women's Caucus International Women's Day Awards Ceremony last week, at the Lucea Anglican Church Hall under the theme "The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum".

The function saw five outstanding female teachers from Hanover — Gwendolyn Lawrence, Valerie Vidal, Antoinette Riley, Desiree Brissett, and Sybil Kerr -- being awarded for their outstanding contribution to the education in the parish.

According to Gabbidon, since the inception of the JTA, there have been more that 40 presidents of which only nine were women.

He further pointed out that, even though the association is made up of approximately 80 per cent women, he was only able to recall once where a woman ran against a man and won.

Gabbidon, in questioning why this has been the case, suggested that there needs to be a momentum to get more women to the level

of president.

"If you look carefully and study work patterns, not just in Jamaica but in the world, you will find that some of the best workers are women, they have a heart. Some of us men have hearts, some of us men have good hearts, but some of us don't care. So I say to you let us create that revolution that is going to give the momentum to women so that the next president-elect will be a female," he argued.

The JTA, which is a democratic organisation responsible for the enhancement and protection of the economic welfare, professional development and personal well-being of its members, was established on April 2, 1964.