Secretaries Answers to Questions
FULL VIDEO
TECHNICAL ADVISOR - DIVISION OF EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
The following question stood on the Order Paper — deferred from April 27, 2023.
asked the Secretary of Education, Research and Technology:
“In relation to the position of Technical Advisor in the Division of Education, Research and Technology, can the Secretary indicate the following:
(a) If there is a Technical Advisor engaged in the Division?
(b) If yes, can the Secretary outline the Recruitment process utilized, the individual hired in the position, and the qualifications of the said individual hired?”
Madam Presiding Officer, in relation to the position of Technical Advisor in the Division of Education, Research and Technology, the answer is, yes.
The response to part (b) - Miss Ann Natasha Second is the Technical Advisor in the Division of Education, Research and Technology. Ms. Ann
Natasha Second holds the following qualifications:
1. Bachelor of Arts double major in Literatures, in English and Geography, obtained from the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies, Jamaica - July 1st, 2000, through a national scholarship for Geography teachers;
2. Postgraduate diploma in Education obtained at the St. Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies - August 17th- 2007;
3. Masters of Business Administration with specialization in Marketing Management attained through SITAL College of Tertiary Studies, Trinidad, and the Australian Institute of Business - March 2015;
4. A Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing obtained from the St. Augustine Campus of the UWI, Trinidad and Tobago - June 10th 2019.
The manuscript produced is the first novel - Sati-ita a representation of female triumph over various forms of trump.
5. Currently completing a Doctorate in Educational Leadership with specialization in School Systems Management; her current research is an ambitious mixed methods research study, on the relationship between principal and school accountability practices, and student outcomes at the primary level. She has obtained a grade A in all sixteen (16) of the taught courses, namely: Technological Leadership in Education; Research Processes; Digital Literacy; Qualitative Research Methods and Data Analysis for Educational Practitioners; Leaders in a Diverse Education Environment; Trends, Issues and Challenges in General Education; Managing Educational Resources; Human Capital Management; Legal issues in Education: a Caribbean Perspective; Leading and Managing Change in Educational Organizations; Educational Policy and Programme Evaluation; Organizational Systems, Theory and Context in Caribbean Education; Perspectives of Teaching and Learning in the Educational System; Contemporary Approaches to Education Issues in the Caribbean and Governance and Accountability in the Educational System: a Caribbean Perspective.
Additional certificates in her personal and professional life includes: Health and Family Life Education - master training course from the Ministry of Education in 2015; Train the Trainer Workshop - Arthur Lok Jack, Graduate School of Business - April 2008; Certificate in Teaching and Learning as it relates to language from the University of the West Indies - August 2001; Certificates in Administrative Senior Leadership Staff and Volunteers from the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts - Western Hemisphere.
Work experience - twenty-six (26) years in secondary level education commencing as an assistant teacher III at the Signal Hill Secondary School then promoted to teacher III at the Bishop’s High School, Tobago, and became head of the Department, Modern Studies at Bishop’s High School, Tobago, and then acting vice principal at Bishop’s High School until her date of employment with the Division of Education, Research and Technology.
Subjects taught across her career include:
Geography;
English Literature;
English Language;
Literatures in English;
Communication Studies,
Sociology; and
Caribbean Studies.
She has twelve (12) years experience as a part-time lecturer at several local tertiary level institutions, namely:-
The University of the Southern Caribbean;
The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus;
The Tobago Open Campus of UWI; and
The University of Trinidad and Tobago.
Then, there are some additional services which I am going to omit right now.
Her accomplishments at the Division of Education are:
(1) Team member for the Scarborough Secondary School Design and User Brief Development;
(2) Team member - Special Needs Committee to achieve effective inclusive education;
(3) Team lead for the ECC sector in the preparation and successful response to the National Parliamentary Inquiry into an examination of the Regulation and Administration of Public and Private Early Childhood Institutions in Trinidad and Tobago at the Joint Select Committee’s Parliamentary Inquiry;
(4) Team lead of the Hybrid Education and Committee to design, implement and evaluate policy direction on effective hybrid education capacity-building from ECC to tertiary level;
(5) Instrumental in management of the project impacts phase I and the planning of phase 2. Cycle two focused on remedial and accelerated learning and student development;
(6) Design and implementation of training and developmental policy of DERTech in alignment with the strategic direction of the Administration;
(7) Led the strategic planning process that has already brought about greater collaboration among staff, and the resigning of the organizational chart, to streamline services to improve the quality and delivery. Final phase involves Secretary and Administrator, DERTech taking the discussion in a consultative phase.
Ms. Second first came to DERTech as an Adviser to the Secretary of Education, Research and Technology, but it was recognized by the leadership team at the Division, that her competency, skills, experiences and commitment will be better utilized in the capacity of Technical Adviser to the Division.
The internal promotion reflects precedence set by her predecessor, Dr. Verleen Bobb-Lewis, who was also internally promoted as the Division’s first Technical Adviser, having been deemed overqualified for the office of CEC. The decision is a pragmatic and cost effective one... [Interruption
Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer.
So I am just confirming, Madam Presiding Officer, since the Member did not complete the recruitment process, is it that the person who is now employed as Technical Adviser, did not go through a recruitment process where the position was advertised - persons were invited to submit resume; evaluation process occurred and then someone was selected? I am just confirming... [Interruption]
Member?