Dear Editor,

This Education Week, May 7-13, started off quite well.

May 9 was Read Across Jamaica Day and members of organisations like Jamaica Literacy Association, Royal Optimist Club of Kingston (ROCK), and National Commercial Bank visited schools and read to students. Additionally, many schools had their own internal plans for the day that kept teachers, students, and parents enthralled by books. The vice-principal of George Headley Primary School dressed like a clown to read a book about clowns to a grade three class. A look at many social media platforms will confirm that Read Across Jamaica Day was indeed a success.

Wednesday was the much-anticipated Teachers’ Day. Students were excited and teachers were excited. For the younger ones it was a day to gift their favourite teacher and for the older ones it was a day to mimic teachers, as they dressed and acted like them.

It was a day for administrations to treat their teachers, either at school or some fancy eatery so that they feel appreciated, but for many of our nation’s teachers it was the celebration of their last Teachers’ Day in the Jamaican education system.

The Minister of Education Fayval Williams and the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) have smelt the rat — teachers are far advanced in their plans to migrate come September. Some have already resigned and left the island after the Easter break. Theirs was a quiet exit, but come August, every bell in every town square will be tolling with the message. I imagine that even the Maroon settlements will sound the Abeng that our teachers are going/gone.

TIP Friendly Society sent out a message: “We have partnered with JTA this year and so we will not give any gift for Teachers’ Day. Collect your gift from the JTA.” Mind you, it is the same JTA that teachers have sworn to pull out of. The same JTA that gave teachers $1,000 to $1,500 for Teachers’ Day in 2022 to “invest”. Now that they have partnered with TIP it is expected that teachers will receive something more tangible to remember their last Teachers’ Day on Jamaican soil as they travel to their new jobs.

The importation of teachers can begin, after all, Jamaica is known for exporting quality and importing sub par!

We continue to sit back and watch the proceedings. Asking what happened to all the milk and apples will be ignored as usual on this farm because all animals are equal but some are more equal than others. Napoleon and his dogs are in charge!

God speed, colleagues. Some of us cannot get out of our Boxer mentality: “I will work harder. Napoleon is always right.” We will work till we cannot anymore and are grounded up to make dog food.

Our children can learn, our children must learn, even if we are using basket to carry water.

Natesha Lindsay

lindsay.natesha2@gmail.com