Dear Editor, The Ministry of Education is in a real mess.

Since the appointment of the new HoM (head of ministry) Owen Lewis, he has been overseas more times than he’s been at work. Just check the number of conferences and workshops he has attended.

The country’s secondary school’s academic performance has declined over the past 10 years and something needs to be done about it. There’s far too much lip service from Education Minister Mac Mokoroa, who has no idea what is going on. That’s what you get when you appoint close friends to these posts. Why reward poor performance?

The Public Service Commissioner is also partly to blame for this mess, as from reliable sources, he appointed Owen Lewis from outside the top three applicants, favoured and chosen by the Minister.

Education is a top development priority of any country but not so in the Cook Islands. It’s tainted with political pranksters who are not capable of leading our education system into the future.

Educate by Chaos

(Name and address supplied)

Editor’s note – A right of reply email was sent to Secretary of Education Owen Lewis, Minister Vaine “Mac” Mokoroa and Public Service Commissioner Carl Hunter on Thursday, July 11, 2024. Hunter had earlier told Cook Islands News that Lewis was one of the three top ranked candidates as determined by the selection panel through its scoring process.