The National College for Educational Leadership (NCEL) and the Management Institute for National Development (MIND) have established a Memorandum of Understanding to design, develop and deliver leadership training to public sector leaders  in the education system with a special focus on middle-level management.  

 

Speaking on Friday (April 13) during the signing ceremony, Minister of Education, Youth and Information Ruel Reid endorsed the establishment of the partnership and commended both entities on their “willingness to resist territorial instincts and joining hands to achieve synergy in the area of professional development”. 

 

Minister Reid said the establishment of a partnership between NCEL and MIND is a positive move for the nation at large and a win-win situation for each agency. NCEL, a young and over achieving institution, can benefit from the organizational strength and reputation of MIND, Reid noted.

 

In delivering remarks, Dr Taneisha Ingleton, Director of Programmes at NCEL, said the move to restructure and re-culture the public sector into a modernized system has redefined what it takes for its leaders to succeed.  In this regard, she said, NCEL and MIND have committed to working together to implement leadership development and interventions.

 

“We have recognized that leadership is not only an individual but an institutional challenge and so a partnership approach could accrue greater benefits,” Dr Ingleton told the gathering at the Ministry’s National Heroes Circle offices. “When we leverage partnerships we create training solutions which are broader in scope, more rigorous in content and more flexible in features,” she added.  

 

Commenting on the partnership, Dr Ruby Brown, Chief Executive Officer at MIND, said it was urgent to address the critical issue of leadership roles in the public sector through professional development intervention as this is of paramount importance in keeping with changes in the global market.

 

“Leadership is a practice. Whatever is the job title we ought to live, work and practice leadership,” Brown stated.

 

Meanwhile, Dr. Maurice Smith, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, said it was important to build capacity within the Ministry as well as the entities affiliated to the organization.  “We decided to reach out to an entity similar to ours to improve the leadership at the Ministry,” he said.

 

NCEL was established in 2011 to set and maintain standards for leadership and to ensure that system and school leaders are well equipped for their different roles. NCEL, through its programmes also identifies and develops future leaders to operate effectively in a modernized system.

 

MIND is an executive agency of the Government of Jamaica, an accredited tertiary level training institution and the main public sector management training organization. However, its range of courses is also available to private sector managers.