EDUCATION Minister Fayval Williams says her ministry is serious about addressing the high teacher turnover rate, which has been plaguing the juvenile penal system for some time now and is collaborating with the national security ministry to devise solutions.

Earlier this year, head of correctional services, Lt Colonel Gary Rowe brought to light the severe shortage of teachers in the system, which he said has adversely impacted the prisons’ ability to provide structured academic programmes for juveniles. He also said that vocational training courses have not been able to receive national certification because the facilities do not meet the necessary standards.

Speaking with the Jamaica Observer on Friday in an exclusive interview on some of the issues affecting the education sector, Williams said her ministry and the security ministry were working to resolve the issues of low remuneration, the main reason teachers in the corrections system do not stay on the job for long.

“We are very interested in making it better for both sides – the teachers as well as the inmates who are there – because we believe at the end of their sojourn they should come out better persons. If we can allow them to take exams and so on, they will be better able to be rehabilitated into society. So we are committed to working through that process to bring certification and ensure that the teachers who are there are comfortable, in terms of their working environment and so on,” Minister Williams told the Observer.

According to the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), it is difficult to recruit teachers due to disparity in salary and benefits between the DCS and public schools, and that salaries and allowances are paid at the diploma level, although teachers have first degrees. Furthermore, it said there is no established structure to facilitate upward mobility of teachers, as those in the DCS do not benefit from the Ministry of Education’s training development programmes, workshops, and seminars.

Lt Col Rowe said if the problems were not addressed, it would hobble the rehabilitation efforts for reintegration of children who are behind bars. According to the department, between 2016 and 2018, 16 teachers walked away from the job, and at the time, only 18 out of 48 vacant posts were filled.

The department is also advocating for incentives for its teachers to encourage those with the appropriate qualifications to vie for the jobs.

According to the DCS, over the last five years an average of 15 juveniles sat the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination, obtaining 50 per cent passes in one to four subjects.