Fifty-two years in any one career represents is more than a testament of dedication and sterling service.
This can be said of the career of educator extraordinaire, Ramadhin Steadroy Bailey. For over five decades he has been giving service in education to help make better the lives of Jamaicans with whom he comes into contact.
Not only has he dedicated himself to education, but he has offered his time as a volunteer.
It is no surprise that in an interview with the North Coast Times, Mr Bailey said that: “If I can help somebody along the way then my living will not be in vain.”
And, certainly, the 71-year-old’s life has not gone in vain.
Mr Bailey has gone through the ranks from being a pre-trained teacher to principal in his native island of Barbuda, to lecturer and later principal lecturer at the Brown’s Town Community College in St Ann, mathematics teacher, education officer and then senior education officer.
For his dedication to the education sector, the St Ann Chamber of Commerce on July 22, saw it fit to honor the achievements of Ramadhin Bailey with the education award.
THE ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA STORY
The chapters of Mr Bailey’s life began to unfold in the small eastern Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda.
He was born in Antigua to parents, Catherine Galloway, who was from Montserrat and his father, Kenneth Bailey, who was from Barbuda.
“I grew up with my grandfather, Leslie Bailey and my adopted grandmother, Beatrice… My grandfather wanted his first grandchild, so my parents left me with him, so he was responsible for my entire upbringing and schooling,” Mr Bailey indicated.
Church was also an integral part of his upbringing and because his grandfather was not able to read, he insisted that Young Ramadhin attend school.
He attended the Holy Trinity School in Barbuda up to grade nine and then went to Antigua and matriculated to the Princess Margaret High School, where he completed secondary education.
CAREER IN EDUCATION
After completing school, Mr Bailey he worked as a pre-trained teacher in Barbuda. However, at that time teaching was not his original career path.
“I wanted to become a mechanic, but my grandfather insisted I should finish school. So I never became what I wanted to be. So I taught for a few years… It was quite good. I was the youngest member of staff at the time, very vocal and very radical. So I realized I really wanted to teach,” explained Mr Bailey.
He attended the Leeward Islands Teacher’s Training College and after his studies, he returned to Holy Trinity to teach.
In 1973, Mr Bailey attended the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Jamaica, where he completed a certificate in education in the teaching of mathematics.
He received a scholarship from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and between 1974 and 1976, he pursued a Bachelor’s degree in educational administration at UWI.
PRINCIPAL
Mr Bailey returned home to Barbuda and became principal of the Holy Trinity School between 1976 and 1981, the first local to do so.
When his country celebrated 25 years of independence, the Antiguan government presented him with the Order of Merit.
Interestingly, he returned to Jamaica in 1978, where he married Rosemarie Manning, who was also a graduate of UWI. She is a past teacher of the St Hilda’s High School and a retired senior lecturer of the Brown’s Town Community College.
The Baileys are celebrating over 38 years of marriage. Their union has produced two children; Allison, who is a captain in the Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) as one of their dentists and Adrian, who is a junior manager in the information technology department of Grace Kennedy Insurance Company.
Mr Bailey is also the proud grandfather of two children.
“I must pay special tribute to my wife and children, especially my wife who has tolerated me for 38 and a half years. My children and my family are my inspiration… God has been truly good to me,” Mr Bailey remarked.
CAREER IN JAMAICA
Mr Bailey and his wife returned to Jamaica to live in 1981, and straight away he went to the Brown’s Town Community College to teach. His association with the college lasted from 1981 to 1994. Brown’s Town became his home.
At Brown’s Town Community College, Mr Bailey lectured in mathematics, educational psychology and was in charge of the pre-training group. He also went through the ranks from lecturer, to senior lecturer and finally principal lecturer.
“I had quite a good impact on a number of children. In fact the award I got from the (St Ann) Chamber of Commerce was propelled by one of my past students, Andrea Mumbie, one of my many successes in Mathematics… I really bask in the fact that I have been able to impact so many young lives,” Mr Bailey revealed.
In 1990, Mr Bailey received a scholarship from the University of Wisconsin, USA and completed a Master’s of Science degree in Continuing and Vocational Education.
EDUCATION OFFICER
Mr Bailey joined the Ministry of Education in 1994 as an education officer in the secondary unit. He was promoted in 2003 to senior education officer, who supervised all the education officers for the ministry’s Region Three.
He worked in this capacity until his retirement as an education officer in 2006.
Mr Bailey reminisced on some of his major achievements as an education officer.
Ever a thinker, he suggested a different way of recruiting teachers into the high schools.
He was also instrumental in starting a mathematics competition, first in St Mary and later in St Ann for all the junior high and secondary schools.
OTHER DUTIES IN EDUCATION
Throughout his distinguished career, Mr Bailey’s reach has extended to hundreds of students in different institutions.
These included through his service at Westwood High School; volunteer Teacher of CXC Mathematics at Aabuthnott Gallimore High and several positions in mathematics at Ferncourt High school. Also, he conducted workshops in the teaching of mathematics in primary and secondary schools; and worked as mathematics specialist for the Ministry of Education, working with teachers and students at Marcus Garvey Technical High, Brown’s Town High and Steer Town Academy from 2014 to 2016.
Mr Bailey has also been a CXC marker of mathematics from 1987 to 2014. He has also been involved with Brown’s Town UWI open campus, where he has been involved in teaching Law and Ethics in Education and Current Issues in Education. He is still involved as a chief invigilator for examinations at the campus.
VOLUNTEERISM
Mr Bailey’s community service endeavours are outstanding. He has served as a justice of the peace since 2004. Among his responsibilities as a JP are attending children’s court and petty session’s court. He is also the public relations officer for the North West St Ann JP Association.
He also enjoys visiting the St Hilda’s High Schools on a Sunday evening where he has devotions with the boarders.
Over the years, he has also done many talks at special events.
“One of the things I do regularly is to visit the sick and the shut-ins and I always champion the cause of the young people. That is where we are heading. If we fail our young people, we are going to fail the nation. So I’m in love with doing that kind of voluntary work,” added Mr Bailey.
As a faithful, knowledgeable, and dependable individual, Mr. Bailey has served on many school boards including: St Hilda’s High School; Muschett High; Lower Buxton All Age, Westwood High School board and Servite Primary.
CHURCH LIFE
Another integral aspect of Ramadhin Bailey’s life has been Christianity.
“It helps in your morality. It helps in how you treat people,” Mr Bailey explained.
He is an Anglican and a member of the St. Mark’s Anglican Church in Brown’s Town. He serves on a member of the church’s committee and as secretary of the Local Assembly of St. Ann and Trelawny Brotherhood of St. Andrew.
Mr Bailey explained that he reflects on Philippians Chapter four, verse eight, “’Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things…. ‘That’s how I live my life.”
The native of Antigua and Barbuda has blossomed and grown into a successful human being, a gentleman whose life is worth emulating as he continues to work towards the betterment of society in his own way.
