THE Rev Ronald “Ronnie” Thwaites, the honourable minister of education, is a Jamaican icon. He came to national prominence through the years as a very popular talk show host. He belongs to the pantheon of media personalities, such as Wilmot “Motty” Perkins, John Maxwell and Barbara Gloudon, who have gained the admiration and respect of thousands of Jamaicans at home and abroad.

Since his appointment to that pivotal ministerial post, Rev Thwaites has come across as a hands-on executive, peripatetic, as well as extremely vocal. And it is fair to say that while he may at times be strident in some of his presentations, he has never come across as confrontational and “facety”.

Education in this country is very serious business. The 2013/2014 budgetary allocation of $76 billion, though insufficient, is one of the largest chunks in the nation’s Estimates of Expenditure for the fiscal year.

According to Minister Thwaites, the 2013 priorities are: 1. Early childhood and special education; 2. Teacher quality; 3. ICT and media in education; 4. Tertiary education. In the current imbroglio wherein the minister and the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) are at war with respect to study and vacation leave, number 2 jumps out at you.

The angry teachers are of the view that the reverend gentleman is hell-bent on taking away from them perhaps the most prized and cherished bone in the meat for our underpaid and most times overworked educators. They feel that they have already made enough sacrifices, over these many years, in the interest of nation building and so should not have this “perk” snatched from them in one fell swoop.

It is no secret that the JTA and the ruling People’s National Party have always shared a certain amicable relationship, to the extent that its detractors have posited that it is a pro-PNP organisation. Historically, progressive organisations have had a tendency to align themselves with socialist-oriented political entities. In the USA, for example, the National Education Association (NEA) which represents teachers in that country has always been seen as friendly to the democratic party, as in the case of the unions. So, in real terms, there is nothing wrong with such an alignment, so long as the business of education and the welfare of teachers remain uppermost on their respective agendas.

Recent outbursts from two prominent members of that august body would suggest that the love affair between the PNP and the JTA has evaporated. Indeed, never in the history of quarrels between the JTA and successive administrations have there been such vitriolic and personal attacks against a minister of education. To refer to Rev Thwaites as being a “mongrel”, and likened to someone who has used cocaine, is not only outrageously disrespectful but is downright crude and tasteless. We expect much better from our esteemed educators, no matter how angry they may be. What example are they setting for a nation that already has very little appreciation for those values and attitudes that can uplift us as a people?

I hold no brief for Rev Thwaites, although he and I have enjoyed excellent fraternal relations over many decades as media practitioners. But even if there is any personal dislike for the gentleman within the rank and file of the JTA, the office that he holds on behalf of the people of Jamaica deserves to be respected. In Jamaica, we have a saying which goes “tek sleep mark death”. If the utterances so far are anything to go by, Minister Thwaites is in very serious trouble with the teachers.

The current kerfuffle may be referred to as a “multimillion-dollar cass-cass” which will have far-reaching consequences for the relationship between Government and the teaching profession. According to information I received from what I regard as a credible source, salaries for the teachers who went on study leave in 2011-2012 came up to somewhere in the region of $965 million. It is stated that vacation leave cost the country in the region of $800 million and that total long leave cost, based on the numbers known to have gone on leave, is $1.8 billion. One suspects that, against the background of a stringent International Monetary Fund agreement, Minister Thwaites must have ruminated long and hard as to whether the country was getting value for money in this manner. Prudent management would suggest that his concerns are justified. However, for such a sensitive issue, proper consultation should have been done so that a consensual approach could be adopted before any public pronouncements were made. One understands that the minister did, in fact, make overtures to the JTA, but there was no meaningful response. Clearly, war has been declared, but both the minister and JTA need to realise that in war it is not a question of who wins or loses, it is what is left. This country, at such a critical juncture of its development, cannot afford an educational system that goes into a free fall. It is therefore incumbent on the prime minister to intervene and use her consummate skills as a mediator, honed when she was a very effective minister of labour, to have this matter amicably resolved in the best interest of the nation, and particularly our children who stand to be the victims of circumstance.

When all is said and done, I believe Rev Thwaites has a sincerity of purpose and is a patriot. If he has done wrong, then he must be man enough to apologise, in the same way that those in the JTA who have maligned his character and brought him into public opprobrium should retreat from such a stance and let good sense prevail. Our teachers are among our most prized possessions as a fledgling nation seeking to acquire economic and social stability. Education is the best investment any government can make for its people.

Hang in there, Ronnie, faint heart never won fair lady!

Lloyd B. Smith is a member of parliament and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. The views expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the People’s National Party or the government of Jamaica.

lloydbsmith@hotmail.com