THE Education Ministry says it has started preliminary talks with the ministries of foreign affairs and labour to develop protocols to regulate the recruitment of Jamaican teachers by other countries.

The Government has also indicated that it plans to pursue agreements with recruiting countries and agencies in relation to the training and development of teachers in the areas of greatest need.

“We would target the Caribbean, the Commonwealth and the Diaspora, but we must focus on training,” Education Minister Senator Ruel Reid told the Jamaica Observer yesterday. He said the aim is to build up the quality of the cadre of educators, focusing on specialist areas such as mathematics. The University of the West Indies and Mico University College are to lead the charge in the training of these teachers, said the minister.

There have recently been renewed calls for better pay for teachers and for the Government to get creative with incentives to keep educators in the system. Just last week Senator Reid indicated that a number of teachers were not expected to return to the classroom in the new academic year, but it was still unclear yesterday how many teachers would be leaving.

The minister noted that specialist teachers, including maths coaches, have always had different compensation packages because of the temporary nature of their contracts. However, he did not say how much more they were paid.

The Education Ministry has, meanwhile, indicated that it is seeking to make up the slack by exploring the development of programmes for the delivery of the specialised subjects through media and ICTs, with support from recruiting countries where possible.

Additionally, the Jamaica Teaching Council has been tasked to undertake a five-year forecasting of teachers who will be needed in the local education system. This process is to be completed by December, Reid informed.

Approximately 490 maths and science teachers left the secondary school system between 2014 and 2015. Data from the Education Ministry showed that 242 of those who left were trained university graduates. Of the 490 who left the classroom, 242 were mathematics teachers, 80 taught integrated science teachers, followed by 52 biology teachers, 39 chemistry teachers, 22 physics teachers, and 44 in the category of ‘other sciences’. The average age of those who left the public school system was 39.

The United Kingdom, United States of America and Canada, as well as others in the region such as the Cayman Islands, The Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos are among countries that Jamaican-trained teachers go in search of higher-paying jobs. The Education Ministry said some teachers have also gone as far away as Dubai and parts of Africa to in search of more lucrative opportunities.