OCHO RIOS, St Ann — It’s the little things, like lunch for those who cannot afford it or a games day to put a smile on their faces. Those are some of the things that principal of Ocho Rios Primary Suzette Barnes-Wilson is convinced have kept her teachers from leaving.

“We have a staff of 55 teachers and three administrators and, based on what I’m seeing, it is the full house — to God be the glory. We haven’t lost anyone because we have always shown our teachers that we value them,” the principal told the Jamaica Observer during a recent visit to the school.

There was a staff meeting going on at the time of the newspaper’s visit and everyone appeared to be in high spirits.

Barnes-Wilson, who has been in charge of the school for the last four years, said she has made an effort to make sure her teachers know they are appreciated.

“Some persons are really having great financial [challenges] so when they get their salary it is finished on rent. So, we try our best to ensure our teachers are fed; we offer lunch to alleviate some of their burden. Some of them are travelling from far and the increased cost for travelling would have impacted them terribly so we help out where we can,” she said.

“We care for our teachers mentally and we have our games day, etc, just to ease their minds. Sometimes [other] teachers really feel it a lot because they have to spend out of their pockets to supply certain things for students, but here at Ocho Rios Primary we get others to come on board and supply certain resources needed for the classroom so [our teachers] don’t have to,” she added.

At Eccleston Primary School they have also been able to hang on to their educators by using a similar strategy.

“My teachers know that, despite the wages that they are receiving, I value them a lot and look out for them in every possible way and so they stay committed,” said Principal Keisha Wisdom.

“I’m so happy that my teachers are still with me; only one teacher is out on four months’ leave and I can’t wait to have her back. So far, back-to-school preparations are going smoothly. We are only doing a few touch-ups and we will be ready for the start of the school term,” she added.

At Ocho Rios Preparatory School, where only two teachers have left since the start of the year, Principal Terry-Ann Taylor believes they stay because they are paid well.

“We are not having any great shortage of teachers and we are very grateful for that. I think our teachers are paid sufficient enough and the working conditions are fairly good. I think that might be among the reasons our teachers stick with us,” she reasoned.

The education sector has long been plagued by the migration of teachers who opt to take up better-paying positions overseas. Minister of Education Fayval Williams initially put the number of those leaving the system ahead of the September 5 start of the new school year at 197. But there has been anecdotal evidence, however, that the numbers are significantly higher, maybe as much as 400. The minister and the Jamaica Teachers’ Association have repeatedly stressed that the final tally may not be known until the last minute.

To head off any havoc when school resumes, the ministry has outlined a contingency plan that will add 964 specialist teachers into the system. Of that number, 121 benefited from government scholarships and are therefore obligated to work for the State for the next five years. School administrators know the value of this type of stability within the system.

“I really feel for those schools that have lost their teachers because it is not easy to reintroduce. But, I believe that with the new measures that were put in by the Ministry of Education we will be able to buffer, somewhat,” Barnes-Wilson opined.

Vice-principal at Ocho Rios’s Tomlinson Preparatory, Elsa Golding Clarke told the Observer she was also grateful about not having to go through a hectic recruitment process.

“It is a relief that our teachers are still here because [if not] we would have to be introducing new teachers to the culture of the school. I’m thankful we are not having the ups and downs that other schools are going through because it can be really hard,” she said. “Our children are eager to come back to school and we are so excited to have them back.”