Crawford gets a good fit
Trained educator named junior minister in the portfolio she loves
With her unbridled passion for education, two-term Member of Parliament for Manchester Central Rhoda Moy Crawford was overjoyed when she received word that Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness had appointed her minister of state in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information.
“I am very honoured, very excited, very humbled,” Crawford told the Jamaica Observer minutes after she was sworn in at King’s House last Friday.
“Education is my background. I am a trained teacher of English Language and English Literature, I am a proud graduate of Shortwood Teachers’ College [and] I also did Language Education at The University of the West Indies, Mona, as well as my master’s in Educational Administration and my PhD is also being done in education,” added Crawford.
She told the Observer that she is very excited about working with Minister of Education Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, “who I admire so much.”
According to Crawford, she is confident that the team at the education ministry, which includes parliamentary secretary Marlon Morgan, is set to continue the well need transformation of the teaching and learning process in Jamaica.
Crawford created a massive upset in the 2020 General Election when she defeated People’s National Party (PNP) heavyweight Peter Bunting who had held the seat for three terms.
She proved that was no fluke in the September 3, 2025 General Election as she retained the seat by defeating the PNP’s Donovan Mitchell, sending him back to his substantive post of Mayor of Mandeville.
Following that victory, Crawford told the Observer: “All the initial praise belongs to God Himself. It has proven to me that His words are true and that indeed His plans are to prosper me. Secondly, I have to thank the party leadership and my parliamentary colleagues for their support… I have to thank my thousands of party workers from the Royal Flat, Knockpatrick, Bellefield and Mandeville divisions and, of course, the 9,000-plus supporters who came out and fought against an institution.”
She was widely tipped to be added to the executive by Holness following her second win in what is a traditional PNP constituency and on Friday she was wildly popular as she joined 12 other ministers of state and Morgan at the swearing-in ceremony.
Crawford is expected to know today what area of the ministry she will be tasked to concentrate on.
