TEACHERS are likely to have some leeway in meeting the academic entry requirement for the profession as legislators reviewing the Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC) are leaning towards changes which will allow entry with vocational and other commensurate qualifications.

“The idea is to insert the term suitable to the areas of specialisation. At the moment the Ministry of Education requires the first degree as the entry level to the profession, but there are degrees in music which are not called degrees, but they are equivalent to first degrees. There are also certification in some other technical areas, not called degrees, but they are equivalent to degrees. The concern now is to include the definition to include those certificates suitable to the areas of specialisation,” chief education officer (CEO) of the JTC Dr Winsome Gordon explained at Thursday’s meeting of the committee which reviewed the matrix of submissions which have been made by various stakeholders over the months.

The proposed amendment would now recognise as teachers — not only persons who have completed either a bachelor’s degree in education or its equivalent, or a first degree with a postgraduate diploma in education, as set out in the current Bill — but also those who have a diploma in education, or the requisite vocational and training which is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in education or a first degree with a postgraduate diploma in education.

Pre-trained teachers, however, will still be required to have the requisite entry qualification. Those already in the system will continue to receive authorisations to teach, under the arrangement between the council and the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), but will still be mandated to upgrade their qualifications.

The definition of teacher has been a source of contention between stakeholders such as the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), and the Teachers Colleges of Jamaica, who expressed strong disapproval of the requirement that teachers must meet in order to satisfy that definition, and the impact on those already in the profession.

According to the JTA, the minimum standard requirement would affect 3,258 specialist teachers, 5,840 in the early childhood sector and teachers from Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

Education Minister Fayval Williams recently told the Jamaica Observer that the Government would consider those concerns and recommendations and make changes where possible, but stressed that there would be no compromise on the minimum standard of a first degree.

CEO of the JTC stressed that the objective is to not have pre-trained teachers in the education system, “but if for any reason a pre-trained teacher must be employed, then such a person would be given authorisation to teach, the employer would give justification for the employment of such a teacher”.

She added that those who attained academic qualifications at the tertiary level, and are now teaching at secondary institutions in certain subject areas, but are not trained teachers, will have the opportunity to acquire a diploma in education.

“Such persons would be instructors until such time as they are qualified as trained teachers,” she said, noting that the Bill does not apply to volunteer teachers, or teacher aides.

Dr Gordon further pointed out that it will not be easy for pre-trained teachers, especially those in deep rural communities, to catch up with the required qualification, but that the ECC would continue to provide support to those teachers, and continue to give them authorisation to teach.

She said the Early Childhood Act would have to be amended to be in line with the definition of teacher under the JTC Bill.

The University of the West Indies (School of Education) in its submission had questioned which law should take precedence given that the Early Childhood Act states that the ECC can decide the criteria qualifies a person as a teacher.

The JTC head said she did not foresee other individual pieces of legislation, having to be amended, as the JTC Bill would govern the entire profession, and any person considered a teacher would have to satisfy those requirements.