Overseas teachers set to fill gaps in education sector

   

The Ministry of Education and Youth will be employing various teacher retention strategies for the 2024/25 academic year, which begins in September.

 

Acting Chief Education Officer, Terry-Ann Thomas Gayle, says teachers are being sought from various countries. 

 

"We currently have engaged Nigeria, Ghana, the Philippines, India. So we are looking all over." 

 

Last year, the Ministry gave school administrators approval to engage part-time, retired and pre-trained graduate teachers and final-year student teachers to fill the gaps caused by teacher resignations.

 

Mrs. Thomas Gayle explained that school administrators will be able to use the Ministry's job portal to identify and recruit teachers who are being engaged from foreign countries. 

 

"So it is not that I'm putting teachers in your school. We are getting some applicants.... But they will use the job bank, and you can go on and select the teacher that you require. Remember, the ministry does not employ the teachers. We can just create a pool for you to choose from," she noted. 

 

She was responding questions posed during the Ministry's Region Six 2024 Back to School Conference on Monday.

 

Administrators were also encouraged to redeploy underutilised staff, merge small classes, use the block timetable approach and increase the use of information and communications technology in the classroom.