Jamaica’s Opposition Spokesman on Education, Damion Crawford, has accused Education Minister Fayval Williams of being misleading in her depiction of the number of teachers who have left in recent months.
Crawford is questioning why the minister did not include resignations in the months leading up to the summer vacation.
Education Minister Williams said at a press conference on Monday that 167 instructors have left the classroom since the beginning of July. However, the opposition spokesman is putting the resignation numbers much higher.
Damion Crawford believes the Minister’s phrasing was deceitful, as he doubts that many of the new graduates will pursue jobs in education.
This follows the minister’s announcement that she expects the vacancies will be filled by more than 900 specialist teachers who’ve graduated from teaching training institutions this year. Williams announced that the graduating cohort also includes several STEM teachers.
The Education Ministry also outlined a slew of plans to make up for the anticipated teacher shortage and will also allow school boards to request extensions for teachers who are set to retire on September 1.
According to Williams, under the Jamaica/Cuba bilateral program, there are currently 70 teachers available. She said there is a framework agreement with the Cuban government under which they will bring these teachers into the system.
She also stated that only instructors who have retired from January 2018 may be sought out to fill any vacancies caused by migration, in addition to the over 900 teachers who are expected to enter the school system for the 2022 academic year.
