JTA President Dr. Mark Smith
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Dr. Mark Smith, President of the Jamaica Teachers' Association
By Nakinskie Robinson
The Ministry of Education's decision to recruit foreign teachers to fill the current teacher shortage is again coming under heavy criticism from the Jamaica Teachers' Association.
Addressing educators at a St. Mary Teachers' Association meeting on Wednesday, JTA President Dr. Mark Smith argued that the government has become too reliant on band-aid strategies rather than addressing head-on, the shortfalls that continue to cripple the progress of the education sector.
"The reality is we have to change these fundamental dynamics. The government has become too dependent on quick fixes," he said, citing its push to get teachers from other countries, including Kenya and India, to fill the teacher migration gap, instead of tackling "the fundamental problem, which is the remuneration of the teachers".
He also pointed to poor working conditions as another issue affecting the education system, noting that school conditions are deteriorating while teachers are forced in many cases to use broken furniture.
Dr. Smith further contended that parents must be careful how they address conflicts and disagreements with educators in view of children.
"If I have a challenge with a decision of the teacher at my child's school, I go and I have a discussion, a respectable discussion with her.... We have the same mission to get the best out of the children and so we must not fight...we must be working and pushing in the same direction," he urged.
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