ROSE HALL, St, James — The teachers’ union has welcomed news that the Ministry of Education and Youth has put aside $15 million to assist educators who require mental health support.

Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education and Youth Dr Kasan Troupe used a recent meeting in Montego Bay to remind teachers that the three-year-old Clinical Therapeutic Funding initiative is available. However, Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President Leighton Johnson said they had previously been unaware it existed.

“That is something that was a well-kept secret,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “I am not sure teachers knew about this because, certainly from the JTA’s standpoint, we were not aware of this.”

Addressing a TREND teacher sensitisation session and launch of the #HowweTREND initiative at Montego Bay Convention Centre last Thursday, Troupe said educators can access the service by calling the ministry’s central office or its regional offices, and teachers in need will be connected to one of many private clinicians across the country.

“They [doctors] don’t work with us.; we don’t know them
per se. Your business is private. You need some help? You can’t spend your money right now because you have other things to do? We have that funding in place for you,” she assured.

The permanent secretary is encouraging those in need of assistance to reach out to the ministry, “because your mental health is also important to the success of the process”.

Johnson is hoping word will spread among teachers.

“This is something that will assist in ensuring that our members get the kind of support that is needed for their overall mental well-being, and it promotes mental wellness. We welcome this kind of initiative and ask that it is promoted some more and the information be passed on to teachers in general to access this facility that the Ministry of Education has,” he stated.

He also pointed to measures already put in place by the JTA such as the three-year-old Critical Psychology initiative which is aimed at assisting teachers who show signs of withdrawal, depression, or stress, and the Critical Illness Trust Fund which became operational in 2022.

“They can make contact with the Jamaica Teachers’ Association
— all through the regional offices
— where an appointment is set. And our clinical psychologist, who the association has retained, will call these individuals and set appointments to have therapy sessions, or to go through whatever programmes or intervention is needed for the teacher,” Johnson explained.

He said the JTA’s Critical Psychology initiative is funded by the association and, “through the advice from the psychologist, they will indicate to us whether or not the teacher needs additional sessions and, if that is the case, the association covers that cost”.