NEGRIL, Hanover – Issues relating to salary compensation for the nation’s public school teachers continue to be a teething pain for educators who have reportedly seen a fluctuation in their salaries each month for the past five months.
According to president of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Leighton Johnson, the implementation of the income tax policy has made it extremely difficult for teachers to understand how income tax is calculated.
“In several instances, it appears on the pay advice that the teachers’ gross taxable amount exceeds their gross earnings! How is this simpler when every month since March teachers who get a set amount for salary experience fluctuation in the amount of money deducted for taxes? We are tired and frustrated and need answers immediately,” stated Johnson.
Johnson, who took over from La Sonja Harrison, was addressing his investiture ceremony during the first of a three-day JTA 59th annual conference in Negril on Monday. The conference is currently being held at the Royalton Negril Resort in Hanover.
Johnson reiterated the Minister of Finance and Public Service Dr Nigel Clarke’s argument that one of the Government”s chief objectives of reviewing and modernising compensation was to simplify the process for everyone. This includes, but would not be limited to, collapsing over 30 scales down to 16, and the rolling of all allowances into salaries. However, Johnson said this is not the experience of the educators.
Another contention within the compensation review process is the need for advancement in the process of applying the graduate allowance to the salaries of teachers as was agreed to in the memorandum of understanding. Johnson said this is yet to take place.
Besides, the JTA president said teachers are eagerly anticipating the possibility of the Government of Jamaica paying teachers a similar salary to that of Germany.
“Minister, Jamaica is known to copy many principles, strategies and initiatives from other jurisdictions. Angela Merkel, the former chancellor of Germany, is quoted as saying, “Teaching is the hardest career because it creates all other careers; therefore, teachers must be paid well, teachers must be taken care of. Teachers in Germany are the second highest paid teachers in the world. Minister, we wait with bated breath for this principle to be modelled. I assure you this concept is definitely worth a copy,” stated Johnson.
The president argued that inadequate compensation is the primary reason for the teacher migration in Jamaica which has resulted in a shortfall. According to Johnson, there is a chronic shortage of teachers in the technical fields.
However, he noted that while Jamaica does not have the spending power as other big countries that pay their educators well, attractive compensation would go a long way in retaining teachers.
“While I understand that a small developing state like ours cannot match the salaries being paid in those realms, it is imperative that a deliberate and intentional attempt be made to adequately compensate our teachers so that we can retain the experienced and qualified ones,” stated Johnson.
Johnson suggested that Jamaica, being the only Caribbean country that has over 10 institutions that focus primarily on teacher training, efforts must be made to embark on a robust programme to train teachers for the export market.
“We must improve our approach in marketing the teaching profession as an attractive, viable and noble option to the youth of our nation. I suggest that we launch a national campaign to throng the teachers” colleges, many of which are undersubscribed,” stated Johnson.
The JTA president is also calling on the Government to allow teachers to be the chief advisors when implementing policies as they are experts in various disciplines.
“We appreciate the establishment of the Taskforce Implementation Oversight Committee but here is the challenge. Teachers should be at the forefront of crafting strategies and informing policies to drive the improvements needed in our sector. Teachers are the technical practitioners and need to be consulted on matters pertaining to educational reform,” stated Johnson.
“I am proposing that the teachers of Jamaica become your chief advisors when designing the strategies for improvement. I am proposing that a significant feature of the education ministry is the establishment of think tanks comprising teachers from every level within our sector, to be engaged in policy review and strategy development. Our teachers are experts in various disciplines, therefore consult with us and use the resources that are available,” added Johnson.
“I can also guarantee that our consultancy fees will be significantly less than what others are charging,” continued Johnson.
The JTA president was referring to the Reform of Education Reports.
In 2019 a study was commissioned, and in 2021 the highly anticipated Taskforce on Education Reform (the Patterson Report) was released. However, the report revealed many of the same issues that were highlighted in the Rae Davis Report of 2004.
