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Where are the jobs for graduating teachers?
JTA seeks clarification on employment freeze; Thwaites meets with college heads
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
EDUCATION Minister Ronald Thwaites yesterday assured teachers' colleges that the ministry will continue to explore opportunities, both locally and overseas, for their graduates who may have challenges securing positions in the local school system.
Thwaites, who yesterday met with heads of teacher training colleges at his Heroes Circle offices in Kingston, also promised that nothing will be done to impair the viability of these institutions, given their importance to Jamaica's development.
(L-R) HALL… Is it that the minister does not intend to replace the cohort that retires? THWAITES… wants colleges to explore opportunities for graduates
(L-R) HALL… Is it that the minister does not intend to replace the cohort that retires? THWAITES… wants colleges to explore opportunities for graduates
#slideshowtoggler, #slideshowtoggler a, #slideshowtoggler img {filter:none !important;zoom:normal !important}
The minister's meeting with the colleges followed his recent announcement that Government would not hire any more teachers this year due to the country's agreement with the International Monetary
Fund (IMF).
But President of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) Clayton Hall says Thwaites utterance that the Government will not hire anymore teachers this year "raises more questions than answers", and has called for clarification on the matter.
Hall told the Jamaica Observer Monday night that the JTA believes that Thwaites' statement was irresponsible, pointing out that there are more that 600 teachers who retire each year.
"Is it that the minister does not intend to replace the cohort that retires? And, if the minister is going to blame the IMF's stipulations for the inability to employ teachers, how then can the minister propose to employ social workers?" asked the JTA president. "The logic of that does not follow," he added.
Thwaites, addressing an education summit at the University of the West Indies Western Campus in St James last weekend, told the gathering that the Government would not hire any more teachers this year, due to the country's agreement with the IMF. He added that if teachers were to be employed, the Government could fail the IMF test.
"So, here is our problem and here is our opportunity, we cannot hire any more teachers. If we hire any more teachers, the ratio of the public service at nine per cent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is going to go out of whack, we will fail the IMF test," the minister said.
He added that people now studying to become teachers may consider to be trained as social workers.
Hall, meanwhile, questioned Government's ability to turn around the economy by 2017 when the batch of teachers entering teachers' colleges this year is expected to graduate.
"... Are we to understand that the economy of Jamaica will not grow by then and therefore we will not be able to increase employment?" Hall asked.
Meanwhile, the minister has urged the leadership of training colleges to re-examine their curriculum offerings to ensure that they are producing graduates to satisfy needs in areas such as special education, mathematics and science, which have not always benefited from priority attention.
While committing to having more frequent meetings with the colleges and other stakeholder groups, Thwaites further encouraged the heads of these teachers' colleges to position themselves for the many in-service training opportunities that will arise in the short- to medium-term.
These, he said, include the provision of additional training for all diploma-trained teachers who will be required to obtain at least a first degree and the provision of short courses for teachers who need to be trained or retrained in particular areas.
In addition, the teacher training colleges were also encouraged to make preparations to support the training and professional development of principals being effected by the National College for Educational Leadership.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz2W0tgUW00
JTA seeks clarification on employment freeze; Thwaites meets with college heads
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
EDUCATION Minister Ronald Thwaites yesterday assured teachers' colleges that the ministry will continue to explore opportunities, both locally and overseas, for their graduates who may have challenges securing positions in the local school system.
Thwaites, who yesterday met with heads of teacher training colleges at his Heroes Circle offices in Kingston, also promised that nothing will be done to impair the viability of these institutions, given their importance to Jamaica's development.
(L-R) HALL… Is it that the minister does not intend to replace the cohort that retires? THWAITES… wants colleges to explore opportunities for graduates
(L-R) HALL… Is it that the minister does not intend to replace the cohort that retires? THWAITES… wants colleges to explore opportunities for graduates#slideshowtoggler, #slideshowtoggler a, #slideshowtoggler img {filter:none !important;zoom:normal !important}
The minister's meeting with the colleges followed his recent announcement that Government would not hire any more teachers this year due to the country's agreement with the International Monetary
Fund (IMF).
But President of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) Clayton Hall says Thwaites utterance that the Government will not hire anymore teachers this year "raises more questions than answers", and has called for clarification on the matter.
Hall told the Jamaica Observer Monday night that the JTA believes that Thwaites' statement was irresponsible, pointing out that there are more that 600 teachers who retire each year.
"Is it that the minister does not intend to replace the cohort that retires? And, if the minister is going to blame the IMF's stipulations for the inability to employ teachers, how then can the minister propose to employ social workers?" asked the JTA president. "The logic of that does not follow," he added.
Thwaites, addressing an education summit at the University of the West Indies Western Campus in St James last weekend, told the gathering that the Government would not hire any more teachers this year, due to the country's agreement with the IMF. He added that if teachers were to be employed, the Government could fail the IMF test.
"So, here is our problem and here is our opportunity, we cannot hire any more teachers. If we hire any more teachers, the ratio of the public service at nine per cent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is going to go out of whack, we will fail the IMF test," the minister said.
He added that people now studying to become teachers may consider to be trained as social workers.
Hall, meanwhile, questioned Government's ability to turn around the economy by 2017 when the batch of teachers entering teachers' colleges this year is expected to graduate.
"... Are we to understand that the economy of Jamaica will not grow by then and therefore we will not be able to increase employment?" Hall asked.
Meanwhile, the minister has urged the leadership of training colleges to re-examine their curriculum offerings to ensure that they are producing graduates to satisfy needs in areas such as special education, mathematics and science, which have not always benefited from priority attention.
While committing to having more frequent meetings with the colleges and other stakeholder groups, Thwaites further encouraged the heads of these teachers' colleges to position themselves for the many in-service training opportunities that will arise in the short- to medium-term.
These, he said, include the provision of additional training for all diploma-trained teachers who will be required to obtain at least a first degree and the provision of short courses for teachers who need to be trained or retrained in particular areas.
In addition, the teacher training colleges were also encouraged to make preparations to support the training and professional development of principals being effected by the National College for Educational Leadership.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz2W0tgUW00
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