JTA delegates force education minister to withdraw contentious comment
Published:Thursday | August 21, 2025 | 12:22 AM
WESTERN BUREAU:
Education Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon was forced to take back her words yesterday after a comment she made at the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) 61st Annual Conference in Hanover provoked the wrath of the teachers.
In her address to the teachers, Morris Dixon suggested that their president, Mark Malabver, had put on a ‘performance’ during his inaugural presidential address on Monday night, shortly after he officially took office.
“I understand where President Malabver was going on Monday night, and I sat there and I took my notes, and I teased out the key points. I know he is also performing for his audience, but I also took out the key things, and he did very well,” said Morris Dixon.
Morris Dixon’s comment did not go down well with some of the teachers, who made theirs objection known by voicing their disapproval.
UNCOMPLIMENTARY
However, the resentment intensified during the subsequent question-and-answer session, when Georgia Waugh Richards, the regional officer for the JTA’s South-Central Region and a past JTA president, insisted that the minister walk back the comments, which she deemed uncomplimentary.
“I personally believe that this (‘performance’ claim) undermines our president’s contribution to the national discourse on education, and it is my belief, honourable minister, that this statement might need your careful attention,” said Waugh Richards.
Initially, Morris Dixon sought to explain that she was not slighting Malabver’s presentation, noting that it was properly researched and included important statistics.
“In terms of President Malabver’s speech, I did tell him, and said it very publicly, that I felt he did a lot of research for his presentation, and I did commend him on his presentation, and that remains my focus. I commend him for that research, and he did not even get to go through all of his speech, because he put a lot of work into it, and you saw the data that was coming out,” said Morris Dixon.
“It was very rich with data, and that’s what we all want. We all want to be able to come with our data and to hear it, and I thought you did a fantastic job in putting on the table ... . I will leave it at that, I think you did a good job, president,” she said.
However, her response did not sit well with the teachers, who reacted with loud cries of disapproval and demanded a retraction of her earlier comment.
“No, you need to apologise,” some shouted, while others cried, “Show us the type of leader you are, withdraw the statement, that’s all we ask.”
Morris Dixon seemed somewhat bemused but graciously bowed to their demands and withdrew the statement.
“Okay, I just spoke to the president and got his advice, and I won’t say what he just told me. But in terms of that statement around ‘performance’, it was said in jest, and as I said before, I thought he did a well-researched presentation. And we withdraw the statement; I have withdrawn it,” said Morris-Dixon.