President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), LaSonja Harrison has accused the government of failing to respond to major issues affecting the nation’s educators.

Among the grievances, she said, are discrepancies and anomalies following the recent compensation review, with hundreds of teachers reportedly experiencing issues with salaries paid out to them.

Harrison said despite concerns being raised, and requests for recalculations and a technical committee to deal with the issues, “Our public calls have fallen on deaf ears.”

She is calling on the government to immediately respond to a request for a meeting to address the issues.

“What scant regard for the nation’s teachers. All the JTA has been asking is for the Government to facilitate a meeting to treat with the anomalies that have arisen from the implementation of the restructuring exercise.

“We are not asking for additional, all we are asking is that what you have agreed to give the teachers of this nation, that they actually receive what you have promised them,” Harrison said.

She argued that the “scant regard” from government could impact the quality of education services provided by teachers.

“Do we want demotivated individuals going into each classroom every day before your children? The teachers of this nation are deserving of better treatment and deserving of the professional courtesy as any other grouping… We should not be begging the government to respond to us,” Harrison said.

She added: “Jamaicans need to decide what quality education system it wants for its children… you cannot continue to have demotivated, despondent, demoralised educators going to school… What will happen to us as a nation?”