KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – Secondary-level teachers of mathematics and the sciences will be given the opportunity to upgrade their qualifications through a $401 million in-service training programme being offered by the Ministry of Education.

Portfolio Minister, Ronald Thwaites, who made the announcement in a statement in Parliament on Tuesday (February 2), said this will apply to approximately 1,400 teachers whose skills need to be upgraded to meet the required standard.

“It is being proposed that 700 teachers access the programme in years one and two with the remaining 700 teachers beginning in year three and completing in year four,” he said.

Thwaites said the Ministry of Education has asked the teacher training institutions, including the University of the West Indies (UWI), to design and deliver a hybrid programme over two years, involving online and face-to-face contact, which will provide these teachers with the opportunity to upgrade their qualifications while keeping disruptions to the education system at a minimum.

In the meantime, the Minister noted that two short-term measures will be employed to help meet the current demand for mathematics and science teachers.

These include the contractual engagement of suitably qualified retired teachers on a part-time basis; and the contractual engagement of persons employed to the private sector, who have a first degree in the subject areas.

“Interested persons will be immersed in a short course designed to prepare them for the classroom where necessary.  These individuals will be engaged to serve grades 10 to 13,” the Minister informed.

The training programme is part of a new $1.2 billion strategy being employed by the Ministry of Education to increase the number of adequately qualified teachers of mathematics and the sciences within the public education system over the next three to four years.

The strategy aims to provide incentives for mathematics and science teachers to increase the retention rate. It also seeks to increase the number of fully qualified mathematics and science education lecturers who are deployed across all Government-run teacher training institutions. 

The plan also entails decreasing the number of teachers teaching outside their area of specialisation by providing opportunities for them to upgrade their qualifications; and improving systems to predict and respond to the demand for teachers within the sector.