APPROXIMATELY 600 teachers turned up at the New York City Board of Education’s (NYCBE’s) recruitment session at the Hilton Kingston Hotel Monday night. But, at the end of the exercise, just over 400 of them left disappointed. For, the American talent scouts wanted only 60 teachers.

“When you coming again, sir?”

“Why no more language or information technology teachers?”

“Just 60?” were some of the many questions hurled at the recruitment team, by applicants who were eventually deemed ineligible.

Apparently, the team wanted only teachers who specialise in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Spanish and Special Education.

One teacher who did not meet the criteria, said that although she knew from newspaper advertisements who the recruiters were looking for, she attended, hoping that she would somehow be chosen.

“I had to come and see for myself what was happening and if something could work out for me. But nothing nah gwaan fi mi at all,” she said.

Last year, the NYCBE recruited more than 300 Jamaican teachers, putting a strain on the local education system and forcing the government to fill vacancies with retired tutors.

However, on Monday night, Steven Hinds, a member of the recruitment team, said it was not the NYCBE’s intention to hurt Jamaica’s education sector, therefore, they set a reduced limit on the number of teachers to be employed.

“I was not expecting such a large turnout. We came over prepared for about 200 from the entire Caribbean,” said Hinds, a Barbadian.

“Our aim is not to decimate any system in any country in the Caribbean. We are mindful that the hard sciences are shortage areas in the Caribbean, as well as they are shortage areas in New York. Therefore, we are not prepared to take as many teachers from Jamaica, Guyana or Barbados, which will leave the system hurting,” he told the Observer.

“We set the limit at about 60, as we know everybody would love to come. But we still have to make sure that our children here are educated and self-sufficient so as to maintain that level of academic standard that our countries are known for in the West Indies,” Hinds said.

One Physical Education teacher, who said that the country would eventually suffer from the loss of qualified and experienced teachers, indicated that money was the major factor for him seeking to leave.

“What is being offered is substantially more than what is paid now,” he said. “Basically, what I am looking now is a challenge, intellectually … I think I am brighter than what I am doing now. I need to go experience new cultures, create another option,” he said.

Hinds and his team visited Mona High on Monday and said they were impressed at how the school is run. They left the island yesterday en route to the eastern and southern Caribbean where they will make stops in Trinidad, Barbados, Guyana and Grenada, to complete their quota of about 200 teachers.

The close to 200 Jamaican teachers who met the criteria Monday, are to know their fate in another three weeks when the recruitment team returns to conduct interviews. It is from those interviews that the 60 teachers will be selected.

The successful teachers will begin working in September, earning between US$31,000 and US$38,000 a year. They will also receive health benefits provided by New York state.

The teachers were informed that they would need to have a fair amount of money and find their own accommodation.

“We love the teachers who are presently in the system and it makes us proud and want to come back to recruit. They are contributing to the system and there are very few who have not met our expectations,” said Hinds.