ROSE HALL, St James — When 43-year-old Norman Allen assumed the helm of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) during the organisation’s 51st annual conference here recently, he was following in the footsteps of his father, Sherlock, who held the position between 1994 and 1995.

The new JTA president, who is very close to his dad, reckons that the writing has always been on the wall that he would eventually emulate his father in ascending to the JTA’s top post.

“I have been in teaching for a long while. My father is a past president of the JTA. So even before going to teacher’s college, recognising that I have always been around teachers, its almost a natural transition. I am very close to my father, so I grew up knowing the happenings,” Allen told the Jamaica Observer.

In fact, a close look at most of the new JTA president’s life could be interpreted as preparation for his ascendency to the post.

Born in his mother’s native Jerusalem Mountain, Westmoreland, which borders Rock Spring, Hanover, from which his father hails, at the age of seven years Allen went to live with his father who relocated to Portmore, St Catherine.

He gained his secondary school education at Jamaica College after leaving Clan Carty Primary School in Kingston, before moving on to Mico Teachers’ College, where he was trained for his journey in pedagogy.

As a third-year student at Mico, Allen formed a part of his father’s campaign team during his father’s bid for the JTA’s presidency.

“Most times he’s (father) going to meetings we travelled together. I was on the road with him when he was campaigning. I was a final-year student at Mico at the time when he was campaigning. He was president-elect in 1993 and president in 1994. So, while being a third-year student they tried something at Mico, whereby the final part of the third year we didn’t have any exams. It was the final part of the research paper, so I had some time,” Allen stated.

He added that he instantly enrolled as a member of the JTA when he started teaching at Waterford High School in 1993.

In 2000 Allen became contact teacher, and after that served as president for the Portmore District Association for two years while he was a teacher at Waterford High School. He then became president of the North West District Association, one year after becoming principal of the Boy’s Content Primary in St Catherine in 2007.

In 2012 he moved to the Four Paths Primary and Junior High School in Clarendon where he still serves as principal. One

year later, he became president-elect for the parish of Clarendon.

“I served as chairman of the public relations committee, and chairman of the primary committee. My life has surrounded service to teachers through the Jamaica Teachers’ Association. We all know each individual must know they are ready to take on another level, another task. I can say I am pleased with myself because I have always called it right. I always know when I think it is my time, and I never act before I think it is my time and I think I have got it right, right along the way, and I hope that for the benefit of the teachers of Jamaica I will continue to get it right all the time as I continue to serve them and serve them well,” Allen argued.

Allen, during his address ahead of Education Minister Ronald Thwaites, called for a review of Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC) Bill on the third day of the JTA’s 51st Annual Conference, held at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa last week.

But the education minister revealed, during his address that some of the concerns raised by teachers over the Bill have been handled and Allen has decided to wait until he sees a copy of the document to determine his next move.

“The JTC Bill, I am happy to hear the minister say that most of our concerns have been addressed. I look forward to that draft that reflects the concerns that we expressed. We are looking forward to seeing that, so I am not going to make any more critical statements as it relates to the JTC Bill until I am actually clear what changes have been accepted. So we wait to see the document,” Allen told the Sunday Observer.

Allen, who said he is awaiting the monthly meeting between the JTA and the Ministry of Education, come September, promised to pile the pressure on the Government over pension and other issues dogging the teaching profession.

“As it relates to pension, what is being proposed can’t hold. Teachers just agreed to a seven per cent wage increase and there is no way that teachers can, from their disposable income that they are expected to live on now in the harsh times, be expected to pay five per cent upfront towards pension, come 2016,” the JTA president noted.

He further added: “It’s untenable and we know from an association point of view that we simply cannot afford that. So we are going to be working with Government to see how best this can be passed on without severely impacting the teachers.

“It is clear now that 20 per cent of those entering our system are students with disabilities… learning difficulties that we are going to, as an association, look forward to see how we can help to enlighten our teachers as to the kind of learning difficulties that our students are coming into the classroom with”.

In the meantime, Allen revealed that his philosophy in life is simply to love people.

“Once you love people you can never go wrong. As teachers you must love people because our children come to us from different lifestyles, different experiences, different exposures. They are not all going to be the same, so when you learn to love you learn to appreciate people for who they are.

“I have always said to persons when they ask, ‘love people’. Because once you love people you will respect them and recognise who they are and they can’t be who you want them to be. And, therefore, you will appreciate them for who they are. That’s the basis on which I operate,” he expressed.