ROSE HALL, St James — Schools should see an improvement in the timeliness with which grants are paid over from the education ministry now that it has a new permanent secretary. That’s a promise from Minister of Education Fayval Williams.

“I know that has been an issue for schools, but with our new Permanent Secretary [Dr Kasan Troupe] who has come up through the ranks with experience at the school level — she knows exactly the pain points — I can assure you that you will begin to feel the love going forward,” said the minister.

She was speaking during the Association of Principals and Vice-Principals Conference held at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in St James last Friday. Williams was referencing the October 2 appointment of Troupe, the ministry’s former acting chief education officer, as its permanent secretary (PS).

First vice-president of the Jamaica Association of Principals and Vice-Principals (JAPVP) Linton Weir, who is also the principal of the Old Harbour High School in St Catherine, cited back-to-school preparations as an example of the importance of timely payment.

“They [students and parents] will not ease up on us. There is no room for excuses when it comes to providing materials and resources for our learners. So this, for us, is welcome news and we are hoping that they will be able to stick to what they would have shared,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

According to Weir, he has seen recent efforts by the ministry to do a better job, and with Troupe now in pole position he hopes there will be more effective communication so he can meet the needs of his stakeholders.

“What I am very appreciative of is the opportunity that we can dialogue. Let us say, for example, you recognise that your grant is late, you can make communication. We have made communication to Mrs Troupe even before she became permanent secretary and she would try her best to ensure that it is taken care of,” he stated.

“For us to help with education it takes serious collaboration and communication. I think we are able now to collaborate better and we are able to communicate more effectively. I think the ministry working with us, [and] us working with the ministry, we’re on the pathway to create a serious platform where we’ll be able to solve some of these different challenges,” Weir told the Observer on the sidelines of the conference.

This year’s staging is the largest in the association’s 31 years of existence. An estimated 241 people representing 104 schools were registered.