Cabinet Approves Drafting Instruction for Establishment of Jamaica Teaching Council

Cabinet has approved drafting instructions for the legal establishment of the Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC).
This was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, during his contribution to the 2009/10 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (July 21).
Mr. Holness informed that a structure for the JTC has been agreed on, while job descriptions for key staff members have been drafted and functional profiles for three units completed. Jobs will be ready for classification by September 2009, he said.
Already, the Quality Education Circles (QEC), one of the major initiatives for teacher development, has been launched, and 61 quality circles island wide have been defined.
Registration of teachers has also commenced and will be substantially completed by the end of the year. However, licensing of teachers will be delayed until the requisite legislation and empowerment are in place.
The Professional Development Unit and the Secretariat of the Teachers’ Services Commission (TSC) have also been placed under this new agency.
Mr. Holness informed that the JTC will continue to function under the powers of the TSC, under which it was incorporated, until it has its own legal personality.
The purpose of the JTC is to raise and regulate the standards of the teaching profession in Jamaica, as well as provide support to achieve excellence in teaching.
Its principal functions will be the development of the registration and licensing standards and the accreditation of teacher certification.
Currently, the JTC is headed by Dr. Winsome Gordon, who served as an assistant chief education officer, and a former senior technocrat at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).