Dear Editor,

It’s “September morning”! Welcome back to school, students, teachers, administrators, other staff, and parents!

I trust that you had a restful summer break and that you are ready to take on the new opportunities and challenges that will accompany this new school year. However, given the current climate surrounding teacher migration, it is understandable that much uncertainty and anxiety abound. Many administrators or principals are still seeking to fill numerous vacant positions, even as they ask themselves who will resign next and when. Nothing is guaranteed at this point.

At the same time, many students will go back to school to new faces, which may be disconcerting for them. They had built a bond with some of their teachers over time, which, unfortunately, has ended prematurely for many due to teacher migration or resignation. Meanwhile, upper school students are concerned about being adequately prepared to sit their Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams next May and June.

Now that the reality is before us, what are we left to do? Whenever there are constraints teachers are called to be creative and resourceful. Some schools have gone ahead to find suitable pretrained teachers to help bridge the gap; some teachers have taken on additional classes so that no student will be left behind; some teachers have taken on subjects or levels outside of their comfort zone just to get the ship sailing; and some schools are exploring co-teaching with other schools to fill the shortage. I salute my considerate colleagues for availing themselves to serve the nation’s future – our students – in this time of crisis.

Around the world, there are crises in education systems. Understandably, Jamaica’s situation is amplified because there are several vacancies in First-World countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. In fact, there are states in the US that still have massive teacher shortages and some have even decided to reduce the length of the school week in order to pacify the effect of the crisis.

Despite many teachers taking up jobs overseas, it should not be discredited that some who remain are satisfied with the increase garnered from the Government’s recent salary reclassification exercise. Though more could be done, some are happy to see a $60,000 or an $80,000 net increase on the pay stub — the most meaningful they have received in the longest while. If there weren’t an international teacher crisis, there wouldn’t be a local one. So who is at fault, the First World countries that are not treating their teachers well or the Jamaican Government for increasing salaries but still not being able to match the compensation given in foreign countries?

All in all, may those of us who remain continue to serve with passion and diligence as we exercise our vocation unto our students and God. Bonne rentrée!

Oneil Madden

maddenoniel@yahoo.com