EDUCATION Minister Andrew Holness is perceived to be the best performing minister in the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Government, the latest Observer/Don Anderson Poll has shown.

According to Anderson, 17 per cent of the 1,000 Jamaicans polled between June 25 and July 2 islandwide, rate Holness as outperforming his peers, as they see in him a genuine interest in improving the country's education system.

"It is not surprising that Holness should be so rated, as one of the strong positives that people generally associate with the JLP Government is free education," said Anderson. "But the general feeling is that he is not only very visible, but that he also appears to be rising above political lines and is genuinely interested in moving education forward."

The poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent, said that 10 per cent of respondents placed Transport Minister Mike Henry as the second best performing member of the executive, while Finance Minister Audley Shaw, Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett and Health Minister Ruddy Spencer each received eight per cent rating.

Holness, a protégé of former prime minister and JLP leader Edward Seaga, came to national prominence when he beat the People's National Party's Warren Blake to take the West Central St Andrew seat in the 1997 general elections. At the time, Holness was 25 years old. Between 1999 and 2002 he served as Opposition spokesman on land and development, after which he shadowed the housing portfolio for the Opposition between 2002 and May 2005. In June 2005, he was given the education portfolio and was eventually appointed minister in September last year when the JLP won the general elections after 18 1/2 years in Opposition.

For the two years that he served as Opposition spokesman on education, Holness demonstrated a deep understanding of the issues affecting the sector and often articulated a credible vision for the island's education system.

His ability to rise above the sharp political divide was often displayed during his regular appearances on the popular morning radio talk show The Breakfast Club as both a club member and co-host.

Anderson, in his analysis of the poll results, said that
"Holness has good support amongst all the socio-economic groups, but moreso amongst females, younger persons and those in the lower socio-economic group".

Anderson noted that rating the performance of government ministers is also a function of their visibility as well as the respective portfolios they hold. "Generally, it is easier to rate the more visible ministers," he said. "At the end of the scale, therefore, persons such as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Ken Baugh, Works Minister Horace Chang and Attorney-General Dorothy Lightbourne receive relatively low ratings for this reason.

"By extension, Industry Minister Karl Samuda and Energy Minister Clive Mullings, it is felt, are being judged purely on the basis of their performance and in this regard they receive relatively low ratings."