HANOVER, Jamaica — The Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) is to meet with the Ministry of Education Friday to discuss outstanding issues affecting the nation’s educators.

“I must say that the calls are not going in vain. We have a meeting coming up to discuss some of those outstanding matters that we have been pressing for,” stated JTA president La Sonja Harrison.

She was addressing the JTA’s Helen Stills Professional Development Day held at Royalton Negril Resort in Hanover on Thursday.

Last Sunday, during a church service in Westmoreland to mark the start of education week, Harrison reiterated an earlier call for the government to establish a technical committee to deal with several issues affecting the sector, including discrepancies arising from the compensation review process.

“It is imperative that the government answers the call made in writing for the establishment of a technical committee where representatives from the union, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education are at the table to deal with these egregious matters and other anomalies as well as these discrepancies arising from the compensation review,” stated Harrison.

On Monday afternoon, a release from the education ministry indicated that Education and Youth Minister Fayval Williams will be convening a special meeting with Harrison to address issues of concern to teachers arising from the recent compensation review.

Williams indicated that coming out of the meeting with the JTA president, she will spearhead the setting up of a special team dedicated to answering questions regarding information on the pay advice of teachers and related queries.

“The continuation of partnership building is critical to the strengthening of Jamaica’s education system and, as such, I will continue to facilitate the engagement of all stakeholders who are critical to the realisation of that and related objectives,” Williams promised.

In the past, Harrison had indicated that the JTA will assist teachers in clarifying aspects of their new salary or retroactive payments.

On Thursday, Harrison used the opportunity to encourage teachers, who are still having issues, to share details ahead of Friday’s meeting.

“If by now you have not yet shared your pay slips, if there are challenges, please do so to that JTAsalary@gmail.com email because we need that documentation to take us to that meeting that we’re going to tomorrow,” said the JTA president.

The session during which she was speaking was held under the theme: Advancing Education: Igniting Your Passion.