Chairmen association says sections of JTC Bill may violate Data Protection Act

 

President of the Jamaica Association of Chairman of Secondary Institutions (JACSI), Courtney Wynter, has added his voice to the ongoing debate over the Jamaica Teaching Council Bill. 

 

Mr. Wynter points out that a section of the bill which speaks to a registry of teachers being publicly accessible might come into conflict with data protection laws. 

 

"There may not be some consistency, for example, with the Data Protection Act because Section 22.5 speaks to the roll and the register being open to members of the public. Now that has to be in conjunction or in conformaty with a recently implemented Data Protection Act."

 

Meanwhile, Mr. Wynter cited two other sections of the bill that he believes need greater clarity.

 

"There may be some collision and overlaps with the responsibilities of boards. It may be in collision with Section 55 to 62 of the [regulations] of 1980. There are some other areas that I have been listening to that we could also recommend that the powers that be looked at. For example, there may be some natural justice issues in respect to someone who is charged versus being convicted," he pointed out. 

 

Mr. Wynter was speaking Thursday on Radio Jamaica's Beyond the Headlines.

 

The proposed Jamaica Teaching Council Act 2025 aims to establish the Jamaica Teaching Council as a statutory body responsible for overseeing and regulating the teaching profession, including teacher entry, conduct and professional development.