FORMER Prime Minister Bruce Golding — honorary distinguished fellow at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus — will be the main speaker at a public forum hosted by the Hugh Lawson Shearer Trade Union Education Institute to evaluate the pros and cons of the controversial Jamaica Teaching Council Bill.

The forum is scheduled to take place next Monday, March 10, at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge and Conference Centre, at which Golding is expected to provide a general critique of the Bill and offer his own views on the way forward. Following his presentation, a panel of experts, including President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association Dr Mark Nicely; Government Senator Navel Clarke; and executive director of the Jamaica Teaching Council, Dr Winsome Gordon, will provide varying perspectives on the matter.

Head of the Hugh Lawson Shearer Trade Union Education Institute Danny Roberts said that “the forum is designed to go beyond the mere robust exchange of views and opinions to the establishment of a framework for consensus among the key stakeholders in the Education system”. He argued that there are several aspects of the Bill which need to be reviewed including areas where the rights of teachers appear to be violated and the functions of school boards are subordinated to the JTC. He noted that the registration and certification of teachers to ensure a minimum quality standard in the teaching profession should not trespass upon areas of fundamental rights and freedom.

The Jamaica Teaching Council was established in 2008 and has as its mission “to cause the teaching profession to continuously strive for excellence in raising aspirations and achievements that lead to beneficial educational outcomes for all learners”.