The Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) has come out against the Government’s policy of recruiting additional non-Jamaican teachers to meet the ongoing shortage of tutors in the education sector.

JTA president Leighton Johnson denounced such methods in a media release, claiming that they did not provide a long-term solution to the problem of a lack of local teachers available in Jamaican schools, and were at best, only ‘kicking the can down the road’.

In recent years, increased demand for educators by developed countries has only exacerbated staffing challenges among the Global South since industrialised nations provide increased incentives for teachers from the outside to come and work.

In the case of England, 2023 statistics reveal that 486 Jamaican teachers received work visas to seek employment, more than double the number issued in 2022.

The Ministry of Education, under portfolio minister Fayval Williams, has stated that efforts are being made to find foreign teachers from Nigeria, Ghana, the Philippines and India to make up for the current
vacancies and demand in Jamaica.

In response, the JTA has reported that shortages have become so severe that teachers in retirement and on vacation had to be hastily summoned to fill the gaps present.

Johnson made clear that he understood and appreciated the efforts being made by the Ministry of Education, commending their clear concern with the students and their efforts to accommodate them
and ensure they received the education they deserved. However, he maintained that outsourcing
teachers was only a temporary solution and that instead, the ministry ought to look inward.

The JTA president declared that the proper way forward to truly fix the matter of a teacher shortage
was to create an atmosphere where Jamaican school instructors felt respected and appreciated. Johnson
noted in particular the need to provide better pay and fringe benefits for teachers to increase their
commitment to the country and desire to stay.

“As an association, we continue to lobby for improved salaries and conditions of service. The salary structure for teachers must be competitive and aligned to international standards. There is an urgent need for retention incentives to encourage teachers to remain in our classrooms. This again is in keeping with best practices and international trends,” the JTA head said.

In addition to better pay, Johnson also put forward alternative ideas of compensation, such as reduced
mortgage rates, tax relief when buying vehicles, land gifting and student loan forgiveness.

As it stands, Johnson and the JTA continue to express their “profound sense of concern and disappointment” with current events and are pushing for the Holness administration to do more to solve the crisis.