( L - R ) Reid, Williams

Claiming that Jamaica College (JC) was in shambles when they took up office last year, Ruel Reid, principal of the institution, and Board Chairman R. Danny Williams yesterday promised to bring back the school to its former glory by 2012.

JC was once considered to be an elite institution, graduating hundreds of prominent members in the society. However, it plunged to an 'E' rating school in 2004, after Dennis Minnott conducted his analysis based on students' performance in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

"When I got to JC it was in an absolute mess," Mr. Williams told the Rotary Club of St. Andrew luncheon, held yesterday at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston.

He added: "Thirty per cent of our children were roaming the compound while 30 per cent of our teachers were not attending class."

Multiple problems

Mr. Williams also noted that the roofs were leaking, the fences were in need of repairs, graffiti plastered the walls and the boys went to school whenever they wanted to.

"I got the shock of my life when I went in there the beginning of last year. At first, the impression I got was that it was a money problem," Mr. Williams told Rotarians.

However, he noted that the most important thing that the school needed was proper management, which Mr. Reid, a former Jamaica Teachers' Association president, has brought to the school.

Mr. Reid said much of the society's problem was the result of ineffective leadership.

He said accountability and performance are very important. In fact, he said his administration terminated the service of several teachers since he got there and hired 24 new ones.