Dear Editor,

Kindly allow me the opportunity to comment on a proposal by Government to grant differentiated payment to science and maths teachers.

While one may understand the stance in support of such a contemplation on the part of Government to pay more to attract competent math and science teachers to our Jamaican school system, I foresee a number of stumbling blocks and challenges to make such a proposal concrete and workable.

Firstly, there is no guarantee that paying science and math teachers more will induce those who have fled the teaching for so-called greener pastures to return to the school system. Additionally, with what would that increase in salary for maths and science teachers be compared? Would it be equalled to the private sector or foreign jurisdiction competition that has lured these science and maths teachers away from the classroom in the first place? If not so, how could there be any guarantee that these teachers will return?

Even if there is the case that the augmented salary for this cohort of teachers would be equivalent to those offered to them in foreign jurisdictions, would their pensions and other benefits be the same? My humble view is that, in this case, all this would do is to give current science and maths teachers an advantage over other teachers of, say, language, agriculture, Spanish, accounting, etc, who have invested similar time, energy and pecuniary outflow in acquiring their teaching qualifications. How would a sense of equilibrium and fairness be maintained among all cohorts of teachers?

A more realistic approach to the dilemma that obtains in mathematics and science is to focus on those teachers who are currently in the system. For one, despite everything, they have stood with the students, offering their best, under very dire situations. Provide these teachers with on-the-job training in the forms of workshops and online and in-class courses. Provide them with more up-to-date teachers’ guides in strategies to teach science and maths. I bet — and I am not a betting man — that science and maths teachers would offer their craft with more zeal, enthusiasm and determination and student results would begin to increase dramatically.

Make this happen as a Christmas and new year gift for all our Jamaican students and our maths and science teachers. Merry Christmas, happy new year!

Joshua Spencer

Toronto Canada

joshuaspencer@hotmail.com