NO one with knowledge of Maxine Henry-Wilson’s immense contribution to public service can challenge the decision to appoint her a member of the Order of Jamaica (OJ) at this year’s national honours and awards ceremony.

In fact, people who know her well can credibly argue that the honour — the nation’s fourth highest in order of precedence — is long overdue.

For more than three decades Henry-Wilson gave distinguished service in politics and education, a portfolio that is obviously dear to her heart.

Former prime minister and People’s National Party (PNP) President PJ Patterson, who had appointed Henry-Wilson education minister in 2002, captured the weight of her contribution to the country in response to a request from the Jamaica Observer last Thursday.

“The award of the Order of Jamaica serves to highlight the symbiotic linkages that necessarily exist between public service and full, active political engagement. Mrs Henry-Wilson has made a distinctive and incomparable contribution to the evolution of our Parliamentary democracy by her work as party general secretary, senator, and Member of Parliament for St Andrew South Eastern,” Patterson said.

“It was during her tenure as minister of education that Jamaica commenced the process, still in progress, of transforming our education system to face the challenges of today and compete successfully in the world of tomorrow. She has continued to make her wealth of experience and knowledge available to our tertiary institutions with renewed energy and dedication,” said the highly respected elder Caribbean statesman.

The Order of Jamaica, ranked fourth in the order of precedence, may be conferred upon any Jamaican citizen of outstanding distinction or upon any distinguished citizen of a country other than Jamaica. In the latter case the person isreferred to as a honorary member. A member of the Order is styled “Honourable” and the motto of the Order is “For a covenant of the People”.

Henry-Wilson came to prominence after she was elected PNP general secretary and helped steer the party’s election machinery to victory in the 1997 General Election, and repeated the feat five years later when she contested and won the St Andrew South Eastern seat, which she held until her retirement from representational politics in 2011.

She served for 10 years as PNP general secretary and in several Cabinet posts including minister of information, minister of education, and minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister.

Before that, Henry-Wilson was appointed to the Senate by Patterson in 1992 and rose to become Leader of Government Business in that chamber where she made invaluable contribution to the island’s legislative process.

That sharp focus on legislation continued when she was elected to the House of Representatives, earning even more kudos in her role as education, youth and culture minister.

During her tenure, she spearheaded the development of a comprehensive blueprint for the holistic transformation of Jamaica’s education system, crafted by a multidisciplinary task force. The blueprint subsequently became the strategic road map guiding the ongoing institutional and structural transformation of the country’s education system.

Another defining achievement of her tenure was the enactment of legislation establishing the Early Childhood Commission, a statutory body charged with transforming and modernising Jamaica’s early childhood sector.

The commission was mandated to develop and enforce national standards, implement a comprehensive system of inspection and certification for all early childhood institutions, design and oversee the sector’s curriculum, and ensure the compulsory training and professional development of all early childhood caregivers.

In recognition of their groundbreaking contributions to the advancement of early childhood education, Henry-Wilson and her team received international acclaim at the presentation of the United Nations Children’s Fund Education for All Global Monitoring Report in 2006, a testament to the far-reaching impact of their pioneering work.

Henry-Wilson also served as a member of the Working Group for the Commonwealth Teacher Recruitment Protocol, and moved the resolution for its adoption.

In May 2007 she became the first Caribbean national to be granted honorary membership in the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Philadelphia branch.

PATTERSON… another distinguished daughter of our nation has earned her well-deserved recognition and due reward (Photo: Naphtali Junior)

At the time, AAUW President Dr Claudette Dia-Taylor said the honour was bestowed on Henry-Wilson because of her unwavering commitment to educate and enforce quality education for all children and for the empowerment of women.

Additionally, Dr Dia-Taylor noted that Henry-Wilson maintained a stellar reputation in public service and education and was also being recognised for her boldness and frank conversations about women as leaders and in their pursuit of careers in science.

Henry-Wilson’s passion for education and public service has resulted in her still serving today as a visiting research fellow at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies at The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Mona; and part-time lecturer in public sector management and public policy at The UWI’s School of Education.

Last Thursday, after the 2026 national honours and awards list was published naming Henry-Wilson as one of seven Jamaicans vested with the OJ, the Observer reported that after leaving representational politics she continued her service to the country, taking up the responsibility for setting up the Jamaica Tertiary Education Commission which had a mandate “to provide regulations for what was a fast-growing, and crucial segment of the education sector”.

She did that “for four or five years”, after which she was engaged with the Jamaica Defence Force in setting up its Caribbean Military Academy, following which she went to The Mico University College as dean of its Graduate School of Education.

During all that time Henry-Wilson, who holds a master’s degree in public administration from The UWI and a master’s in public policy from Rutgers University, served as chair of Clan Carthy High School’s board of management “for a while” and as chair of the education committee on the board of her alma mater, St Andrew High School for Girls.

In 2018 the Jamaican Government saw it fit to appoint Henry-Wilson a member of the Order of Distinction, Commander Class (CD) for her contributions to public service and education.

Her elevation to the Order of Jamaica last week was hailed thus by her former boss, Patterson: “Another distinguished daughter of our nation has earned her well-deserved recognition and due reward.”