29 March 2019
Acting Director of Education, St Helenian Wendy Benjamin, has been appointed to the substantive role of Director of Education. Wendy succeeds previous Director, Shirley Wahler, and her appointment is effective immediately.
As the Director of Education, Wendy’s main responsibilities will be to continue to drive educational improvements across the directorate including through the St Helena Community College.
Wendy commented on her new role:
“To be successful for the role of Director of Education is a major accomplishment for me and I am proud to accept the position. The role is a diverse and challenging one but also rewarding and I am looking forward to taking this next step in my career. I am fortunate to have a good team in Education, together we will strive to build on what has been achieved so far and continue to improve education for the people of St Helena.”
Chief Secretary Susan O’Bey added:
“I am extremely pleased that Wendy has been appointed as Director of Education. This is another example of a St Helenian taking on a senior management role in SHG and I would like to congratulate Wendy on her promotion. I hope her appointment will inspire other St Helenians, especially young people, to aspire to such roles in the future. Wendy has demonstrated what can be achieved with hard work and commitment and I have no doubt that she will be excellent as Director of Education.”
Wendy’s experience in the education field on St Helena spans over 31 years. She joined the profession upon leaving school as a teacher trainee, qualified as a Locally Qualified Teacher and taught in the primary sector for 19 years. During this time Wendy held senior management roles including a Post of Responsibility for the Primary School’s English Curriculum and Deputy Head Teacher, she also acted in the capacity of Head Teacher for a short time. Wendy studied and achieved a Master’s Degree in Education with Distinction whilst carrying out a fulltime teaching role. This was done primarily via distance learning with a short six-month placement in Cheltenham, UK, to complete the taught elements of the course. Wendy was also able to gain valuable insight into the UK Education System as well as UK Primary School experience during this placement.
In 2006, Wendy was promoted to Teacher Training Officer and became a member of the Education Senior Management Team. She worked in this capacity and then as Education Officer for Training and Special Educational Needs until April 2014 when she was promoted to Assistant Director Schools, a role which she has held until just recently.
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SHG
29 March 2019