AS her temporary assignment to the Ministry of Transport and Works (now the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing) nears a close, civil servant Audrey Sewell has indicated she is willing to serve any ministry — though she readily claims her love for education.

Sewell took up the role as permanent secretary for transport and works on December 1 last year, following three years of service as permanent secretary for the Ministry of Education.

This, after the permanent secretary for transport and works, Dr Alwyn Hales, was sent on vacation leave to facilitate investigations into the scandal surrounding the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme, which came under the ministry.

Sewell said Hales is due back on February 1, but she will have to await word from the Public Service Commission to see whether she would return to the education ministry.

“The information is that Dr Hales’ leave goes up the 31st of January and he resumes on February 1. I would have to await further instructions (as to any future posting), but my understanding is that my reassignment is to the end of January,” she said.

However, whether that means Sewell will be automatically returned as permanent secretary for the education ministry — currently led by former chief education officer Grace McLean — is unclear. Still, Sewell said she is open to serving anywhere.

“I am a public servant; I am flexible. Wherever I am placed in government, once it is not something outside of my scope of experience and qualification, I accept it readily…” she told Career & Education.

“I love education; that is the sector I have worked for most of my life. But I wouldn’t want to make any demands. Wherever I am placed, I will give it my best shot,” added Sewell, who is a trained teacher with certification from Shortwood Teachers’ College.

She also holds a master’s degree in human resource development from the University of the West Indies (UWI), an advanced certificate in educational administration and leadership from the Swedish Institute for Development and the Vocational Development Institute, and a first degree in management studies, also from UWI. The Vere Technical High past student has also done programmes in research methods and education with the University of Michigan and the State University of New York.

Meanwhile, Sewell — who up to 2008 was employed as the director/principal for the Justice Training Institute in the Ministry of Justice, having served more than 20 years with the HEART Trust/NTA — said her assignment to the ministry of transport and works has so far proved “interesting”, despite the challenges.

“The reception has been quite good. I have found the staff very co-operative… I have not experienced any kind of resistance. They have been very professional and I have told them so… But there are challenges and one of the main reasons I am there…” she told Career & Education.

“We have a lot of work to do to streamline things to ensure that persons (not only) understand fully the rules and regulations but also adhere to them because this is where we have the problem. One of the things the (new) minister (Dr Omar Davies) has to say is that we need to ensure that we do not have a recurrence of the things that have been revealed, and so that has been a main focus for us to really look at what systems we need to put in place to ensure people adhere to government procurement guidelines and other guidelines and standards,” added Sewell.

The Auditor General’s report on JDIP, made public in November, revealed deficiencies in the management of the US$400-million programme. As a result, Patrick Wong, then head of the National Works Agency — the lead local entity on the programme — was fired, while JDIP was transferred to the Office of the Prime Minister. The resignation of the then minister of transport and works Mike Henry followed shortly thereafter.