Submission made for teachers to be compensated if cleared after JTC investigation

 

The School of Education at the University of the West Indies, Mona, wants teachers who lose wages while they are being investigated by the Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC) to be compensated if they are cleared of wrongdoing.

 

The School of Education gave the suggestion as it made submissions before the Joint Select Committee of Parliament examining the JTC bill on Thursday afternoon.

 

Dr. Marcia Rainford, the director of the school, said she is concerned part eight of the bill does not address the issue of compensation for persons subjected to disciplinary proceedings. 

 

"What we're trying to do is seek clarification on how the code of regulations for teachers is aligned with this bill as it relates to matters on subsection 59. We think that consideration should be given to whether there be any compensation or reimbursement lost wages for persons who have been brought to this disciplinary inquiry and have been proven innocent, and we think that the bill should state that such persons found innocent, having been subjected to this inquiry, should be refunded," she asserted. 

 

Dr. Rainford said she is also concerned about provisions which state that, upon hearing an appeal, the review tribunal should render a decision within 28 days or a reasonable period.

 

"The concern is that a provision is effectively made for the tribunal to take as long as it may determine it needs to render a decision by including the statement or such longer period as a tribunal may reasonably require," she argued. 

 

"The net effect of this is that a person whose professional future or reputation hangs in the balance must wait or may have to wait for an indeterminate period of time to know their fate.  Simply put, we think that this is not fair," insisted the administrator.  

 

The JTC bill seeks to establish a governing body for the teaching profession and a regime for the licensing and registration of all teachers.

 

The Council will have the power to suspend and cancel the registration of a teacher who has been charged with a disqualifiable offence, such as sexual assault, murder, pornography, robbery and fraud.