To THE EDITOR: As a proud Jamaican and a highschool instructor at present serving in Georgia, I’ve been following the nationwide dialog surrounding the Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC) Bill with nice curiosity. Whereas I perceive that many educators in Jamaica have voiced considerations, I really feel compelled to share my perspective as somebody who has skilled the worth {of professional} licensing and regulation firsthand.
In the US, academics are anticipated to satisfy requirements, earn acknowledged {qualifications}, and preserve their license via steady skilled improvement. These necessities are usually not designed to restrict or punish academics; they elevate the occupation, shield college students, and guarantee public confidence within the schooling system. Why ought to or not it’s any totally different in Jamaica?
The JTC Invoice, from what I perceive, seeks to formally set up the Jamaica Instructing Council because the regulatory physique accountable for making certain that each one academics in Jamaica are registered, licensed, and held to clear skilled requirements. That is lengthy overdue. Instructing is a occupation, similar to medication, regulation, or engineering. It deserves the identical stage of oversight, credibility, and public belief. By licensing academics, Jamaica isn’t diminishing their value; it’s recognizing their crucial position in shaping the nation’s future.
I’ve heard considerations a couple of potential enhance in instructor migration or “mind drain.” However let’s be trustworthy, if Jamaican academics depart for the US or different nations, they can’t escape sure necessities. They may nonetheless be required to satisfy licensing requirements, endure coaching, and, usually, relicense of their new jurisdiction. Skilled accountability is common. We can not view this as a burden distinctive to Jamaica when there’s, in reality, a regular for educating throughout the globe.
I additionally perceive that some academics have raised considerations concerning the potential sanctions outlined within the Invoice. Whereas these considerations are comprehensible, it’s necessary to acknowledge that accountability measures are a standard a part of each revered occupation. They exist to not punish, however to take care of the integrity and requirements of the sector. Extra importantly, licensing affirms the worth of academics as certified professionals, and ongoing relicensing and submission of police data be certain that these entrusted with educating our nation’s youngsters are totally ready and able to delivering high quality schooling.
I imagine this can be a transfer in the proper path. It places Jamaican academics on par with their worldwide counterparts. It opens up alternatives and strengthens the occupation at residence. Most significantly, it sends a transparent message to college students, mother and father, and the broader society that educating is a noble {and professional} calling.
I urge my fellow educators in Jamaica to view this as a possibility to uplift the occupation and enhance the standard of schooling for all.
