Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, said the country could benefit economically if more instructors are trained locally to be exported to other countries battling educator shortages.
He was speaking at an awards ceremony on Tuesday to honor several students who took the 2022 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) exam.
Holness noted in his first public comment on the recent migration of Jamaican teachers that the situation shows that quality educators are produced locally and in high demand elsewhere.
“It says how well our system operates, and maybe, whilst we view it (teacher migration) as a threat, maybe we need to look at it in a systematic and strategic way to say to those persons who want to take up our teachers, ‘Pay us to train teachers for you, and who knows, maybe there are some economic opportunities there that should be pursued,” he said.
Despite highlighting the possible benefits of teacher migration, the prime minister emphasized that mass migration poses a risk to Jamaica’s education system.
“Whilst there is very little the government can do to prevent the exercise of someone’s free will to take up an opportunity and an advantage that they would gain, the government of Jamaica still views these developments as a potential threat — a potential challenge — to deliver quality education to our children,” he explained.
He further indicated that teachers who are oftentimes recruited are the best and that teachers in the most critical subject areas are frequently recruited.
However, he welcomed the Ministry of Education and Youth’s remedies that were presented to the public on Monday, which are aimed at mitigating the effects of teacher resignations, one of which is hiring retired teachers.
He stated that the ministry’s hiring of retired teachers and the use of information and communications technology (ICT) are two welcomed strategies.
However, he believes that other measures, such as relocating teachers from underpopulated schools, could be explored to mitigate the impact of teacher migration.
“It may become necessary, and it may actually prove advantageous to have relocation from some schools that are underpopulated to schools that need the teachers.
He added: “Now, you have to ensure that you are matching the required teacher that you need coming from an underpopulated school, but those logistics can be worked out in the Ministry of Education.
Education and Youth Minister Fayval Williams stated at a press conference in Kingston on Monday that 167 public school teachers have resigned in the last two months.
However, she revealed that 964 specialist teachers are available for employment to fill those vacancies.
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