Mathematics
and Science Teacher salary is the imaginary root of the problem that needs to
be rationalized. If you're math nerd like me, then you'll get what I just said
right there.
Turns
out Mathematics and Science Teachers need a salary of JA$250,000 per month says
Educate Jamaica in the article “Pay
Science And Math Teachers $250,000 Monthly – Education Think Tank”,
published January 26 2016, The Jamaica
Gleaner.
 |
Educate
Jamaica, in their article on their website entitled “$250,000
Minimum Monthly (After Tax) to Keep Mathematics and Science Teachers in Jamaica
Classroom” is predicting that more Mathematics and Science Teachers will
exit the Teaching profession in the next 24-36 months.
This
is on top of the 494 mathematics and science teachers why have already exited
the education system in 2015. The Educate Jamaica chief executive of Educate
Jamaica, Ainsworth Darby, arrived at this figure by first considering two
things:
1.
JA$90,000 after tax, the current salary
for a entry level Mathematics and Science teacher
2.
The salaries being paid to Teacher of
Mathematics and Science in the UK and US of A
He
claims the only alternative to increasing Mathematics and Science Teachers teacher
salary to JA$250,000 per month is employing them from Asia, South America and
Africa as noted in the article “Pay
Up! - Educate Jamaica Says $250,000 Monthly Salary Needed To Keep Mathematics
And Science Teachers In Classroom”, published Wednesday January 27, 2016,
by Andre Poyser, The Jamaica Gleaner.
So
how did he arrive at this figure?
JA$250,000 per month an
Engineer’s Entry Level Salary – Salary Increase may not be enough
This
salary sounds about right, albeit I didn't know that Mathematics and Science
Teachers with a Degree in their discipline were making over JA$90,000 after
tax.
My
figure of JA$35,000 per month to JA$60,000 per month is actually based on a
Teacher who has no degree but merely a Teacher's diploma as noted in my blog article
entitled “Why
JA$100,000 Salaries needed to STEM Mathematics and Science Teacher shortage in
Jamaica”.
So
if Teachers are now currently at JA$90,000 per month after Tax, then a move to
JA$250,000 per month after tax to match our US and UK counterparts might do the
trick, which I would naturally support. This proposed salary is a lot more like
the entry level Engineer's salary of JA$250,000 per month, with JA$100,000 per
month being the entry level salary for a Telecom Technician.
But
does an increase of Salary mean more students will enter the Teaching
profession? And will it be enough to stop the current Mathematics and Science
Teacher from leaving the profession?
Why Educate Jamaica
attacks the JTA leadership - JTA President opposed to Salary Increase
Good
to note here that his arguement fits with mine in my blog article entitled “Why
JA$100,000 won't Stop Mathematics and Science Teachers as Braindrain will
accelerate”, as an increase in salary to JA$100,000 per month will not stop
the exodus of Mathematics Teachers.
Changes
need to be made to the teaching environment for Mathematics and Science
Teachers as well as the student-teacher relationship. These are the problems
that Teachers in Mathematics and Science Teachers have to contend with on a daily
basis:
1.
Poorly stocked Laboratories
2.
Lack of Experimental apparatus
3.
Lack of a Science Teaching Classroom
4.
Lack of Teaching aids in the classroom
5.
Unruly children in the Classroom
Strangely,
Educate Jamaica takes aim at something else entirely; the JTA leadership!
According
to Educate Jamaica, the JTA (Jamaica Teachers Association) leadership structure
need to be changed as noted in the article “Change
Needed In JTA Leadership Structure - Educate Jamaica”, published Wednesday
January 27, 2016, by Andre Poyser, The
Jamaica Gleaner.
In
fact, chief executive of Educate Jamaica, Ainsworth Darby, directly attacks the
leadership of the JTA, claiming that it doesn’t represent the Teachers of
Jamaica, quote: “Each organisation
endeavours to have its own unique identity and structure, however, if such an
identity and structure is not fit for purpose, then it needs to be reviewed and
in this case, the current structure of the leadership of the JTA is not fit for
purpose”.
This
may be because the president of the JTA President, Norman Allen, was opposed to
the original proposal of increasing Mathematics and science Teachers salaries
as noted in the article “JTA
Against Paying Science And Maths Teachers More Than Other Educators”,
published Thursday December 17, 2015, by Jovan Johnson, The Jamaica Gleaner.
He
claims that the proposed salary increase does not account for the demand in
other teaching disciplines by other countries, which is also on the rise. This
view is supported by youth development, HIV and human rights advocate Jaevion
Nelson, who claims that fewer Americans and Europeans are opting to teach.
According
to his arguement, this implies that the US and UK recruiters may soon turn to
recruiting other teachers from other disciplines as stated in the article “Jaevion
Nelson: More Money Won't Keep Teachers In The Classroom”, published
December 31, 2015 by Jaevion Nelson, The
Jamaica Gleaner.
So
under pressure from the JTA, the Ministry of Education backed down from the
proposal. If the Educate Jamaica proposal for an increase in salary and a
change in the JTA leadership were auctioned, thing might improve, albeit more
change is needed.
So
what is the Ministry of Education planning to do to stem the current loss of
Mathematics and Science Teachers?
Ministry of Education
proposes Recruiter caps, bonded scholarships - Educate Jamaica proposal look
more attractive
The
Ministry of Education has now begun to focus on how Mathematics and Science
Teacher are being recruited by US and UK recruiters as noted in the article “New
protocol coming for overseas recruitment of teachers”, published Monday,
January 18, 2016 by Penda Honeygan, The
Jamaica Observer.
Minister
of Education, Ronald Thwaites says that the Mathematics and Science Teacher
vanish without a trace, often leaving the school without informing their HOD or
Principal of their intentions, quote: “So often schools do not know that the
teacher is leaving until the teacher has left, which is our greatest
difficulty”.
This
time the plan seems to involve talking to the recruiters and possibly setting
yearly quotas for Mathematics and Science Teachers, to quote the Minister of
Education, Ronald Thwaites: “Now, we are
planning to approach the taking companies, and work out protocol even though on
a government to government basis we know when an approach is being made and we
know that there can be some kind of insurance because if they are taking our
teachers, whom we have trained, then certainly there should be some level of
reciprocity in helping to train our teachers for the local market and certainly
for the foreign market”.
Additional,
the Ministry of Education is also looking into the following measures:
1.
Scholarships to people who have an
interest in pursuing mathematics and the sciences starting September 2016
2.
Bonding period of 3 years for
exceptional mathematics and science students at Teacher's colleges
This
will help those students with an interest to entering the Teaching profession,
but it won't stop those Mathematics Teacher leaving the profession.
Educate Jamaica
JA$250,000 per month salary – More incentives and improved teaching conditions
needed
So
back to executive of Educate Jamaica, Ainsworth Darby proposal, which is sound
better and better every time when compared to the JTA and the Ministry of
Education. A change in the JTA leadership might just be the remedy needed to
get an increase of salary as after all, he's blocking the salary increase.
However,
I'd also recommend the following to hold on to older, established Mathematics
and Science Teacher considering leaving the Teaching Profession in Jamaica:
1.
Free land
2.
Free housing
3.
Free Car with petrol and maintenance
allowance
4.
Improved Science Labs and Science Rooms
5.
Allowance to purchase Teaching aids for
the Sciences
This
along with a JA$250,000 per month (after Tax) salary, would go a long way in
reducing the flight of established Mathematics and Science Teacher.
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