CORAL SPRING, Trelawny — Former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn on Wednesday night drew on one of the most difficult periods of her own career to encourage school leaders in Manchester and St Elizabeth to be resilient as they continue rebuilding schools damaged by hurricanes Beryl and Melissa.

Addressing the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information Region Five Back-to-School Awards and Gala at Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny, Llewellyn likened the challenges facing Region Five’s educators to her own experience after she was required to step aside as director of public prosecutions while court proceedings challenging constitutional amendments affecting her tenure were underway.

In December 2024, the Court of Appeal ruled that the 2023 constitutional amendments extending the DPP’s retirement age from 60 to 65 and allowing the office-holder to elect to remain in office were constitutional. The Opposition had challenged the amendments, arguing that they were unconstitutional because they conferred a second tenure extension on Llewellyn. The ruling overturned an earlier Constitutional Court decision that had required Llewellyn to step aside. During the intervening period, Claudette Thompson served as acting DPP before Llewellyn resumed office following the appellate court’s decision.