PM’S Medal of Appreciation Recipient Says Award Means the World to Him

Regional Director for the HEART/NSTA Trust (Region 2), Dr. Aston Spencer, is among the 79 Educators who will receive the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service to Education, on May 28.

“It means the world to me. If you go in any of my offices that I supervise, there is an Aristotle quote that I have put up in there: ‘Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution’,” he told JIS News.

His journey to this milestone is a testament to his dedication and passion for education.

Dr. Spencer’s educational journey began at Cedar Valley All-Age School in St. Thomas, where he sat the Common Entrance Examination.

He failed the test and went on to attend Trinityville Secondary School where he excelled, earning nine passes in the Secondary School Certificate and Jamaica School Certificate Examination.

He did work experience with the St. Thomas Parish Council before enrolling with the National Youth Service (NYS), where he was placed at his alma mater to assist with the grade-six Common Entrance class.

In that year, a record was set with six students passing the exam, up from the usual one or two passes.

“One of the students who did not pass said to me, ‘Sir, if we had you for longer, more of us would pass.’ I’ll never forget that,” he told JIS News.

After completing his NYS duties, he was offered the opportunity to be employed as a pre-trained teacher in agriculture, but he turned it down, as his specialty was business education.

He was called back to the Parish Council for a three-week Christmas holiday job, because he did well in the work experience.

“I was coming from church one Sunday evening, when I saw the Chief Accountant at the time, driving all the way from Bath to Cedar Valley in search of me, because telephone was not so prevalent at the time. He said, it’s you I came to look for, we want you to come back, you left without even telling us that you’re not coming back,” he shared, adding that he was not aware that they wanted him to continue.

Three weeks turned into three years of full-time employment.

Dr. Spencer’s determination to advance academically led him to attend classes at Excelsior Community College, in Kingston, while working.

He always arrived late for his 5:30 p.m. classes after commuting from Morant Bay to downtown and then to Mountain View.

His hard work paid off and he was the only evening student who passed four subjects, impressing his principal who was initially doubtful about his capabilities.

On achieving the subjects, he resigned from the Parish Council and joined the staff at National Commercial Bank (NCB).

“I always loved teaching. I was teaching from I was a young person in Sunday School and even became Sunday school superintendent. I started teaching at the bank training school as an adjunct lecturer in customer service, grooming dynamics,” he said.

His professionalism resulted in him being asked to represent the bank at auctions in the 1980s and to train CIBC staff in letters of credit and documentary bills.

He left NCB and began working full-time as the administrator of his church, New Life Assembly of God.

Dr. Spencer is a firm believer in the transformative power of education, having grown up in a poor single-parent household with three siblings.

“I set up a computer lab up Constant Spring, a library, and a clinic for the community there,” he told JIS News, adding that this was aimed at increasing access to educational and health resources.

While working as administrator, he pursued a first degree in teaching, a minor in guidance and counselling, a post-graduate diploma in teacher education at the Jamaica Theological Seminary, in conjunction with Shortwood Teachers’ College.

He completed teaching practice at Constant Spring Primary and Junior High School, which led to him becoming a member of the school Board more than 25 years ago.

Dr. Spencer also serves on the Boards of José Martí Technical, Spanish Town and Eltham High Schools as well as Brassington Basic School in St. Catherine.

He holds a PhD in Ministry and an MBA from Caribbean Graduate School of Theology and Regent of Grace Bible College, respectively.

Dr. Spencer joined the HEART/NSTA Trust in 2005 as a Career Counsellor.

As the first regional career counsellor, he established a one-stop centre, hosted seminars, and conducted workshop training.

He moved up the ranks to Director and then Acting Senior Director of the NYS during the entity’s merger with HEART/NSTA Trust.

Dr. Spencer managed the Youth Employment in the Digital and Animation Industry (YEDAI), successfully enrolling more than 6,000 youth, certifying more than 2,000 and placing all trainees in apprenticeship programmes, noting that it is one of his “big success stories”.

His vision for education is to create a world-class, inclusive and innovative education system that allows every Jamaican to reach their full potential, contribute meaningfully to national development and thrive in a dynamic, global environment.

Dr. Spencer would also like to see teachers’ colleges increase their efforts to attract young men.