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By Warren Bertram
Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) President La Sonja Harrison is calling for school administrators to be transparent about the shortage of teachers they have been grappling with throughout the school term.
Mrs Harrison, who was speaking Thursday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106, said the shortage of teachers has forced schools to either increase class sizes or simply not offer some subjects.
"I would just encourage my colleague principals...to really share what their realities are on the ground, you know, because the truth is many schools went through this year, they didn't have the best of the situation. And we've always had challenges, but when it is you can't find a human resource, I'm telling you, that makes it even more challenging. And it will certainly determine the quality educational offerings we offer to our students as a nation," she warned.
Mrs Harrison was responding to a news story carried by Radio Jamaica News on Wednesday where Education Minister Fayval Williams sought to assure that the number of vacancies being advertised for teaching positions was not an indication that schools were on the brink of a teacher migration crisis.
Mrs Williams told Radio Jamaica News that it would be unwise to assume that there is a correlation between the vacancies being advertised and an increase in the number of teachers seeking better opportunities overseas.
But the JTA president said while she has no conclusive evidence of a teacher migration crisis, several schools have been advertising a significant number of vacancies as many schools remain understaffed.
"We have had an advertisement going through the entire academic year. I will point out that there was one school up to March 31st that was the need of 11 teachers. And if the other principals were to share, there have been schools that have not had their full complement of their staff...for this academic year," she pointed out.
Mrs. Harrison also addressed the assertion that there will be sufficient teachers graduating from the various teachers' colleges to offset the number of teachers leaving the sector.
She argued that there is no guarantee that every teacher who graduates from a teachers' college will enter the teaching profession.