The Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC) will not be authorised to conduct professional appraisal of teachers, as set out in the controversial JTC Bill, a provision which was a source of much anxiety for professionals in the teaching sector.

The JTC will, instead, monitor the development of teachers, based on the standards set out in law.

The idea of being appraised by the JTC was met with apprehension by teachers represented by various groups over the months that the Bill has been before a joint select committee of Parliament for review.

The Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) had said that in addition to flying in the face of natural justice, being put in charge of appraisals will be a logistics nightmare for the JTC. The association said the JTC does not provide daily guidance and support to schools, and it disagreed with any attempt to interfere in that operational procedure.

Following a lengthy debate at Thursday’s meeting of the committee, the decision was taken to remove the provision in law, which would give the JTC the authority to conduct appraisals of master teachers.

It was initially understood that the JTC-administered appraisal system would apply to all teachers, but head of the JTC, Dr Winsome Gordon, explained that the conduct of professional appraisals referred to in the Bill was actually intended for master teachers only. She said these teachers are selected at the national level and would therefore have their appraisals done at that level every three years.

However, an about-turn was done on the provision after some members insisted that there was no need for this specific provision for master teachers, given that the JTC already has broad powers to monitor all teachers and ensure that they are operating within the ambit of the professional standards laid down by the council.

Member of Parliament (MP) for St Elizabeth South Western Floyd Green argued that further to that, the council has the authority to elevate some teachers as it sees fit.

“Nothing would stop the council from doing something of that nature. The powers are already there to monitor, evaluate and ensure that teachers are in keeping within the professional standards, which they can incorporate into the policy for master teachers,” he stated.

Trelawny Northern MP Tova Hamilton agreed with Green.

Opposition Senator Lambert Brown cautioned against not making the distinction for master teachers, and suggested that the JTC’s assessment role should be limited to monitoring the development of that cadre of professionals.

Dr Gordon explained that a major evaluation of the master teacher programme some years ago revealed that not all people so designated had remained in those posts, leading to the decision to have that cadre of teachers evaluated every three years. She said, ultimately, the JTC is only responsible for identifying master teachers, and the follow-up responsibility is then passed on to the education ministry, through the chief education officer.

She said the interval assessment is an evaluation of the master teachers, which takes into consideration their appraisal at the school level, to ensure that they are operating at the level of a master teacher.

“So it’s really an evaluation of the master teacher and not an appraisal,” she noted.

The master teacher programme emerged out of negotiations with the JTA in 1996, which established a national master teacher committee that comprises leading educators and master teachers. That committee operates under the JTC.

Teachers who apply for the master teacher positions are assessed, after which a report is submitted to the national master teacher committee, which decides whether the individual is granted master teacher designation.

These teachers are paid salaries equivalent to that of a vice-principal of the school where they work, and evaluated every three years to determine whether they are still operating at that level, in order to continue to be paid at that level.

If teachers are not found fit to continue as master teachers, based on their evaluation, the JTC informs the Ministry of Education, which is expected to take action, but Dr Gordon noted that for the most part, the teachers who have been found to not be functioning as master teachers are near retirement.

There are currently 32 master teachers working in the public education system.

Dr Gordon advised that the JTC is now expanding the programme, digitising the evaluation/appraisal system for master teachers so that it can now identify “more easily, teachers who are outstanding”.