Looks
like the Ministry of Education will be integrating the idea of salary
differentials. If you're a mathematics and Science nerd like me, you'll realize
what I just did in that first sentence.
The
Ministry of Education is considering the idea of paying different teachers
different salaries as noted in the article “Gov't
Mulls Offering Better Salaries To Maths And Science Teachers To Keep Them”,
published Thursday December 17, 2015, by Jovan Johnson, The Jamaica Gleaner.
The
idea is to counter the poaching of Mathematics and Science teachers from the Education
system by Engineering firms, both locally as well as Internationally (read USA
and Canada!) resulting in a brain drain of talent as explained in my blog article
entitled “Why
JA$100,000 Salaries needed to STEM Mathematics and Science Teacher shortage in
Jamaica”.
So
why is that exactly?
Mathematics and Science
Teacher Flight – JTA President says Math and Sciences Teacher not special
For
a Mathematics and Science teacher getting JA$35,000 per month, getting double
the same salary or even being paid the same but in US$ per month working abroad
is a temptation many find hard to resist.
The
loss of Mathematics and Science teachers is resulting in CXC and CAPE students
not having trained and experienced teachers to teach them the subject
adequately, resulting a gradually worsening performance ion these exams. Mathematics
and Science teachers are not adequately prepared or even ready to deal with
these students, many of whom have learning problems and are uninterested in the
Sciences, their attention focused elsewhere.
This
reduces the number students that are able to matriculate into STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics) at the UWI and UTECH as well as replenish the pool
of Mathematics and Science teachers at the Teachers Colleges to teach the next
generation of students.
Engineering
firms pay double what a Mathematics and Science teachers usually makes for the
knowledge they possess. They then give them upgraded training and the tools to
do the work that UTECH and UWI Engineers would only do for higher salaries
above JA$100,000 per month.
Strangely
enough, the JTA (Jamaica Teachers' Association) President, Norman Allen is
opposed to this proposal 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 statements of the Minister of Education are merely a reaction
that does not account for the demand in other teaching disciplines by other
countries. So is he right?
Jamaican Brain drain to
Foreign countries – We’re losing English, as Robotics and Engineering graduates
In
a way he might be.
Albeit
a Teaching Degree in Mathematics and the Sciences makes you just as employable
as an Engineer but at lower salaries locally, the same isn't true abroad.
American
companies abroad are more interested in you working at their standard in Engineering.
They are thus more likely to retrain you with their specialized systems,
assuming that they even recognize your Teaching Degree in the first place.
You'll
have better luck getting through on the US Farm work program by applying for a USCIS
(United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) H-2A and H-2B VISA come
Monday January 18, 2016 as explained in my blog article
entitled my blog
article entitled “How Jamaicans
can apply for H-2A and H-2B VISA to work in the US of A”.
Then
there is getting the US Visa!
Aside
from the JA$20,000 you'll need for the US VISA Application, US legislators are
also considering doing background checks into their activity on the Internet,
mostly Social Media and websites as noted in the article “Snooping
On Social Media Proposed As Part Of US Visa Background Checks”, published
Wednesday December 16, 2015, The Jamaica
Gleaner.
So
it's actually getting harder and harder to go abroad.
Additionally,
as the JTA President, Norman Allen, there is also a demand for other Teaching
skills.
One
subject that’s in demand is English.
Teaching
English to Japanese children via the JET (Japan English Teacher) Program is now
becoming increasingly popular as explained in the article “Japan
wants more Jamaicans”, published Thursday, October 01, 2015 BY Kimne
Thompson, The Jamaica Observer.
This
is also resulting in a gradual brain drain of English Teachers as well as other
trained professionals who are willing to teach English to learn Japanese as
noted in “Japan
and others gain from Jamaican brain drain”, published December 17th 2014 by
Baye McNeil, Japan Times.
Even
more evident is the CMI (Caribbean Maritime Institute) training of Cadets
who'll eventually leave Jamaica to take up posts elsewhere in the maritime and
logistics sectors as well as the burgeoning field of Mechatronics as explained
in my blog
article entitled “CMI's
Future Mechatronics Engineers - Why Free Housing for Robotics Programmers vital
to Jamaica's Growth”.
With
possible salaries s high as US$3000 per month as a Maritime Engineer abroad
they definitely aren’t coming back to work in Jamaica.
JA$100,000 Salary will
not Stop Brain Drain – Problems in the Classroom as Engineering gets worse
Personally,
I'd love a salary of JA$100,000 to teach Mathematics, Physics or Chemistry as
well as housing and land allowances after I graduate from the Mico University College.
However,
with the teaching environment in the classrooms in need of upgrading, I suspect
the majority of that money will be spent on buying teaching aids and printing
handouts in a bid to get the student excited about Mathematics and the Sciences.
After
all, we're Mathematics and Science Teacher, not magicians. Plus the Engineering
firms will eventually stop poaching Mathematics and Science Teachers when they
realize that in cutting costs, they are also creating future problems in
Engineering.
Ditto
too for other STEM based fields such as Programming, Animation and Medicine as
the economy gets worse and job prospects dwindle as noted in the article “Graduate
Tracer Study Reveals Employment Prospects After UWI Dim”, published Monday
November 23, 2015 by Andre Poyser, The
Jamaica Gleaner.
They
too will go abroad and not return to Jamaica, making the STEM Shortage overall
even worse.
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