The appointment of Valerie Robinson-James as permanent secretary for the Ministry of Education marks the latest change for a department in transition.

Wayne Scott was appointed as the new minister last month, and Government recently agreed to examine consolidation of schools as a possible savings measure — although details on the latter move are unlikely to be revealed before the upcoming February 20 Budget.

The assignation of Mrs Robinson-James yesterday, after she served as acting permanent secretary for the ministry since May of last year, was hailed by Cabinet Secretary Derrick Binns as the right step forward.

“Mrs Robinson-James has more than 30 years of dedicated public service in a variety of disciplines,” Dr Binns said.

“Throughout her career in the public sector, Mrs Robinson-James has served as acting permanent secretary for a number of ministries, including Culture and Social Rehabilitation, and Health.”

The new permanent secretary has taught at the Berkeley Institute, as well as serving as the chief statistician and director of the Department of Statistics.

Mrs Robinson-James, 58, has also served as president of the Business and Professional Women’s Association.

Her experience as a statistician also gave her a vantage on a key educational issue in Bermuda, when Mrs Robinson-James helped steward the 2003 Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey.

“Mrs Robinson-James will bring her lifetime of public service and forward-looking vision to bear on one of the most important ministries of the Bermuda Government,” Dr Binns said.

“Her exceptional leadership skills and strategic thinking, gained at very senior levels of management, will serve Bermuda and the Government well.”

The previous PS for Education, Warren Jones, resigned from the post in October of 2013.

It has been a job with fluctuating roles in recent years, as the permanent secretary and education commissioner worked closely to balance day-to-day management with the ongoing task of overhauling Bermuda’s public education system. The previous commissioner, Edmond Heatley, had a short and embattled tenure, having taken the job in August, 2013 and resigning just eight months later.

With the appointment of Mrs Robinson-James, the nomination of a new commissioner can be expected to come soon — Premier Michael Dunkley having indicated last month that the posting of both a permanent secretary and commissioner for education would be “imminent”.

The hiring of Dr Heatley, a United States educator, proved deeply controversial for the ministry, and whether or not a Bermudian takes the job alongside Mrs Robinson-James will prove crucial.

The ministry is also coming up for a milestone: the Blueprint for Reform, which took over from the recommendations in the Hopkins Report in 2010, was scheduled for evaluation this year.

Mrs Robinson-James holds a Master’s degree in Economics (MA) from George Washington University, a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Mount Saint Vincent University and a Bachelor of Education (BEd) from the University of Toronto. Dr Binns commended her appointment to the job, saying he wished her well in her new post.

Her appointment was made effective from February 2.