A new and improved Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC) Bill is expected to be tabled in Parliament soon following the completion of the joint select committee of Parliament’s review of the legislation on Thursday.

Members of the committee, who have made substantial amendments to the 2022 Bill, agreed to sign off on the provisions which are contained in its report that is to be presented to Parliament before the new Bill is tabled.

Government committee member, Senator Kavan Gayle told the Jamaica Observer on Friday that the deliberations of the joint select committee have significantly enhanced the Bill through “a comprehensive review and engagement process”.

“With 38 sittings and input from 19 educational stakeholders, key areas such as teacher registration, qualifications, discipline and professional conduct were scrutinised. The stakeholders’ feedback and the support of the technical team has helped lawmakers to refine the Bill to ensure that the establishment of the Jamaica Teaching Council will support a more robust teacher regulation and professional standard,” he said.

Senator Gayle said it is noteworthy that the collaborative effort has resulted in a clearer definition of the functions of the council and a stronger framework for enforcing professional conduct.

“I’m now of the view that the Bill is now better positioned to meet the needs of the education system to support both the integrity of the profession and the quality of education in Jamaica — which was the objective of the Government,” he said.

It is expected that after the committee’s report is brought before Parliament, the old Bill will be withdrawn and a newly drafted Bill will be presented.

During its meeting on Thursday, committee members agreed with Jamaica’s Solicitor General Marlene Aldred’s suggestion to sign off on the report which would outline the provisions of the new Bill, without seeing the actual drafted provisions.

“Perhaps committee members would sign a report that makes it clear that their proposal is for a new Bill to be drafted, taking into account all the decisions of the committee, and that they would expect that all the decisions of the committee are reflected in the redraft, and making the proposal that the Bill should be withdrawn and the new draft be tabled — so then, at least, it would be clear that the committee members did not see or sign off on the actual revised Bill. So what the committee members would have signed off on is a report containing the deliberations and discussions and what they want to see in a Bill, and perhaps that could be captured in a paragraph,” she said.

Senator Kavan Gayle said he was in agreement with Aldred’s proposal.

“We would have done the work and we would have made amendments and…we would have made those proposed amendments that would be part of the Bill going forward. I don’t think it makes any sense for us to come back here to review and revise what those amendments are; the report would so reflect that. The good thing about it is that we would have exhausted all the length and breadth of the Bill itself,” he said.

The JTC Bill seeks to establish a system of licensing teachers so as to improve the status of the teaching profession. Its purpose is to recognise and promote teaching as a profession and to contribute to improving the quality of teaching and learning in Jamaica by regulating the entry and standing of members of the teaching profession.

The Bill will also establish and maintain the registers of teachers and the roll of instructors; establish and maintain professional standards for teacher competence and practice; regulate the professional conduct of teachers to ensure, in the public interest, that teachers are fit and proper persons to teach; and create an enabling environment for the continuing professional development of teachers.

The Jamaica Teaching Council was established in 2008 as a part of the Education Transformation Strategy to improve the quality and coverage of education but, to date, lacks the necessary legislation.