Looming crisis in education if teacher retention not addressed - Smith

  

President of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA), Dr. Mark Smith, has declared that a crisis in education is looming if key factors to retain teachers are not addressed.

 

Listing underinvestment, unattractive salaries and inadequate training opportunities as the main issues of concern, Dr. Smith said the profession is becoming less attractive for each generation.

 

"It is incumbent on our leadership to make the type of investment in education that the country requires. And that is why, as we have embarked on our negotiation, which are presently engaged in, I've been agitating at every single meeting for there to be a historic investment in education."

 

"We were at the Prime Minister's Medal of Appreciation last evening and that was my message to the Prime Minister - understanding that we must, for the sake of the growth and development of this country, have an historic investment in education, a once in a generational investment in education that will be able to catapult the country forward. Because as we are doing it, we will not be able to meet our developmental goals," he warned.

 

He urged the government to put in place a retention bonus for teachers. 

 

Dr. Smith was addressing teachers in St. Elizabeth on Thursday.