Be Ready to Play Greater Role in Reform… PM Golding Tells Mind Graduates

Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding told the leadership of the Management Institute for National Development (MIND) to be ready to play a greater role in the public sector reform effort that is currently being undertaken by the Public Sector Transformation Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister.
Mr Golding was addressing MIND’s 10th anniversary graduation and awards ceremony on December 12 at its Old Hope Road premises.
“In this new public sector culture that we have to create, MIND is going to have to play a critical role…Our appreciation of the fact that for a country to grow and develop, it must have investment; it must have macroeconomic stability; it must have a range of things… but if it does not have a modern facilitative public sector, it is neither going to grow nor develop…Let me urge you to be mindful of the vital role that you will have to play in this process of transformation…I urge you to stand ready to be even more proactive to be more effective; to contribute an even greater extent to what has to be done. Not just for Jamaica to survive and to wade its way through this period of turbulence that the world is going through, but to find the growth and development and greatness that I believe that we are capable of, I urge you to be ready to play that part.”
Describing the challenges of getting effective results from the 117,000 persons employed in the public sector, Mr Golding paid tribute to the emphasis that MIND places on developing management and leadership within and noted the range of customised courses delivered to Government employees. He said that changing the culture of the public sector to be service driven was a key towards reducing the $157 billion that is spent annually to keep the state bureaucracy going.
“MIND has done a great job in taking that concept that is well over 30 years in existence to a higher level. I want to commend all of those who have been involved…I am very impressed with the array of courses that are offered, well over 130 courses. I am impressed by the fact that you provide training to certificate level; to diploma level; to associate degree level; and I am told that you even offer post graduate diploma training. I am impressed that you have been accredited by the University Council of Jamaica as a tertiary institution. I am impressed that you have expanded your reach beyond Kingston…I am also impressed at the flexibility that characterises the courses that you offer. Distance learning, use of the Internet, using modern tools in the process of acquiring knowledge; so much to learning has changed with the introduction of modern technology.”
MIND is the successor of three training institutions that were established more than 30 years ago to deliver courses tailored for public servants. It is among the first four Executive Agencies that were established ten years ago. The ceremony turned out nearly 700 graduates and recognised persons and organisations that made outstanding contributions to the success of the institution and its satellite campus in Mandeville.