Saddam Hussain replaces Dr Hutson as Chief Education Officer

– Dr Hutson appointed Executive Director of NAC

The Education Ministry has announced that Saddam Hussain will be taking up the role of Chief Education Officer (CEO).

He replaces Dr Marcel Hutson, who served in the position of CEO for six years, including for two years post-retirement when he was re-engaged and contracted by the current Education Minister, Priya Manickchand.
The Ministry said he has made exceptional contributions to the development and forward movement of the education sector.
Meanwhile, Hussain has been a classroom teacher for more than 20 years. Over the past two years, he served within the Central Ministry as the Chief Schools’ Inspector and has been managing the efforts to restructure the Inspectorate Unit of the Education Ministry.
The new CEO was a Cadet Officer and was appointed as a Senior Education Officer in 2011; a position which he later declined. In a statement, the Ministry said he brought to the position of CEO, a wide range of experience having worked at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC).
On Wednesday, the former CEO officially handed over the office to Hussain at the Ministry’s Brickdam office. It was also announced that Dr Hutson would not be leaving the Ministry, but was taking up the position of Executive Director of the National Accreditation Council (NAC).
The NAC is the principal body in Guyana responsible for conducting and advising on the accreditation and recognition of educational and training institutions, providers, programmes, and awards, whether foreign or national. Hutson holds a Bachelor of Social Science in Sociology, a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education Administration, and a Master’s in Education Management, Planning, and Supervision.
“The Ministry of Education extends tremendous gratitude to Dr Hutson for his service as Chief Education Officer, especially during one of the nation’s toughest periods – the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry looks forward to another stellar stint in his new role,” the Ministry said in a statement.
It added that Hussain, in his previous roles, has demonstrated a deep love and passion for developing the sector and transforming education and systems to meet the needs of present-day Guyana.
“All of Guyana can be assured of the Ministry’s unswerving attention to building out the best education system in the land and are encouraged to be excited about this time in education in the country,” it said.