Education Ministry Committed to Securing a Cadre of Highly Trained Teachers – Holness

Minister of Education, Andrew Holness, has said the Ministry is committed to securing a full cadre of highly trained teachers in the education system, to reduce gaps in performance and achievement among students.
“There is an inequitable distribution of effective school teachers in the education system. The schools with the biggest achievement gap, that is the low performing schools, tend to attract insufficient numbers of highly qualified teachers,” Mr. Holness said on (Oct. 4), at the launch of the Lasco/ Ministry of Education Teacher and Principal of the Year Awards at the Ministry’s Heroes Circle offices. “This is something that the Ministry takes seriously and we will be ensuring that there is equity in the education system and that there is a uniformity of achievement in the system,” he added, noting that the Ministry, through its Professional Development Unit, is working to improve the professionalism and qualification of teachers.
The Minister informed that through various programmes for teachers such as the professional revolving loan fund; the registration programme; the 50 per cent refund programme; the off-shore study programme; and providing paid study leave and on-going study sessions, the Ministry of Education is moving to achieve its target of having a fully trained and certified cadre of professionals.”
He said further that the Ministry has partnered with the University of the West Indies, Mona; Mount St. Vincent University in Canada; and St. Josephs’ Teachers College, to train teachers in the effective administration and management of the school environment.
Additionally, he noted that the Ministry intends to improve the delivery of education at the nation’s teachers’ colleges. “For instance, in early childhood education, where we have an immediate need for trained persons, HEART/TRUST NTA has filled the gap but if we are to still move ahead, we need them to advance further than just the vocational certification. We need them to get an academic and practising certification .so we need to expand the capacity in the teachers’ colleges,” Mr. Holness said.