A big degree is not all | MP defends embattled HR Manager

A big degree is not all | MP defends embattled HR Manager

July 5, 2018 0 By Horace Mills

Member of Parliament for Trelawny Southern Marisa Dalrymple Philibert has indicated that she does not support the view that someone with a Master’s degree should either get more pay or be selected for a job automatically over another person who holds a Bachelor’s degree.

She voiced the opinion during a meeting of the Public Administrations and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) yesterday, July 4.

At the time, some members of the PAAC were questioning why the Human Resource Manager at Petrojam, Yolande Ramharrack, was earning $13.04 million annually (including allowances). Her highest degree is a Bachelor’s.

In comparison, her predecessor Roselee Scott-Heron, who holds a Master’s degree, earned $9.82 million annually.

While the higher earner, Ramharrack, faced questions about her qualification, the Trelawny Southern parliamentarian declared: “The person holding those qualifications (Ramharrack) does seem to me to be qualified. I say so without any apologies.”

She further stated that emphasis should be placed on whether the person can get the job done; not whether she holds a lower degree than a predecessor.

“There is a lot more that goes into employing somebody other than your paper degree… I just want to state very clearly that, because somebody in a previous life has two or three degrees, it doesn’t matter,” the Government parliamentarian continued.

“There are many people who graduate with lots of honours degrees – I can tell you, and you put them out in the working world and they can’t function. Somebody has less and do very well.”

Member of Parliament for Trelawny Southern Marisa Dalrymple Philibert

Dalrymple Philibert however said a minimum standard of acadmic qualification is necessary.

“If I have before me, someone who did not have a degree [and] did not have certification in certain things, then I would immediately question. But simply because somebody has a second degree over [a first degree holder] does not make the person [with only a first degree] not qualified for the job.”

“I have heard it around in the public domain and I take objection to that, because paper degrees don’t automatically make you the best person for a job,” added Dalrymple Philibert, who noted that interviews and other methods are also used in assessing prospective employees.


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