The perennial shortage of teachers in Jamaica, both in terms of quantity and quality, remains a clear and present danger to the island’s struggling educational system.

In 2022 Education and Youth Minister Fayval Williams bemoaned the fact that there was a lack of sufficiently trained and qualified teachers of maths and science. No doubt, the same scenario is unfolding now as migration and long vacation leave while careers switch have been bedevilling this critical sector to the nation’s development.

It has been accepted that the world has become a global village, which means that there will always be people seeking greener pastures by way of migration. This is the harsh truth. However, rather than wringing our hands in despair, Jamaica should take the bull by the horns and spread its net far and wide to recruit suitable and willing professionals to occupy our classrooms.

In a recent Jamaica Observer article titled ‘Shortage of maths, science teachers expected next year — Williams’, the following observation continues to have a haunting effect: “The education sector has for years been plagued by migration of teachers disillusioned by meagre salaries, under-resourced facilities, and increasingly challenging students. Notwithstanding these and other issues, the minister is hoping more Jamaicans will choose teaching as a career.”

Of course, there are other negative factors which the education minister would be extremely naïve not to include in the mix of reasons teachers continue to throw in the towel, even though there has been a spate of salary increases. Among these is the fact that many teachers do not feel appreciated, especially by the State, based on the callous and offhanded ways in which they have been treated over the years by the powers that be. The minister should also bear in mind that many of the youngsters who enrol in teachers colleges do so as a stopgap method, so as soon as they get “the piece of paper” they look for jobs and seek to establish careers in the private sector.

On May 26 this year, Minister Williams, in an interview with the Observer, noted that “teaching is still a very noble profession and we will do all we can to ensure that the upcoming school year is as smooth as we can make it”. Then she went to state that despite measures put in place last summer in response to a massive exodus of teachers, she expects that there will be a shortage of educators in the next school year, especially for maths and science classes.

Well, Minister, I have a suggestion for you, which I hope you will explore, and if feasible, seek to implement as part of your ministry’s overall strategy to fill our classrooms with the “right stuff”. My suggestion is to look at overseas recruitment as a practical option. And in this regard the continent of India comes to mind.

A revered schoolmate of mine, who is a highly regarded technocrat and patriot (we both attended Cornwall College in the 60s) sent me the following correspondence (he prefers to remain anonymous): “The ongoing debate regarding the shortage of teachers, due in part to migration, reminded me of a column which you wrote in 2004. The question I posed to myself is: Could we not import some teachers from several countries, primarily in STEM [science, technology, engineering, mathematics]? I recall, while attending Cornwall College (1960 to 1967), a significant number of teachers were not Jamaicans. Some hailed from countries such as Bangladesh, Scotland, Pakistan, Colombia, and Barbados. I recently researched the salaries of teachers in India. I found that the average salary of a teacher in India is India rupee (INR) 30,000 per month (US$390;$58,500). A teacher in Jamaica typically earns around $102,000 per month.”

Salaries in Jamaica range from $49,000 (lowest average) to $186,000 (highest average).

Given the abovementioned salary scale, it is reasonable to accept that there is a clear possibility of luring teachers from India and other countries, such as Pakistan, to teach in Jamaica. We would need to factor in the airfare from India to Jamaica, which, based on the lowest economy fare on Skyscanner, would cost an estimated $500,000 for an India-Kingston return ticket. Based on a three-year contractual arrangement, this cost, amortised over the period, would amount to $15,000 per month.

Additionally, we would need to address the issue of accommodation. Several schools in areas outside of Kingston provide subsidised accommodation for teachers, such as Munro College and St Elizabeth Technical High School. Arrangements could be made for the overseas teachers to occupy these units.

“For the Corporate Area, there are several underutilised residential buildings which are owned by the government, such as the Kingston School Of Nursing hostel on Half-Way-Tree Road, which could provide accommodation to the teachers recruited from overseas at a subsidised rate. Further, based on recent reports, there are several rooms available at the halls of residence on the Mona campus of The University of the West Indies, which could be leased at a subsidised rate for such accommodation. UNESCO’s recent State of the Education Report for India 2020 found that 42 per cent of the teachers across private and government sectors in India were working without a contract and earning less than INR10,000 a month.

According to my esteemed friend, based on research, “Forty per cent of trained teachers in India were unemployed. Over 60 per cent of teachers were interested in migrating.” This situation makes for a most attractive proposition. Of course, the proper consultations would have to be done, especially with the leadership of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, to avoid claims and accusations of union busting. To put it bluntly, we are in a crisis, and radical solutions are required.

It is hoped that Minister Williams will read this column and be sufficiently enticed to explore the possibilities presented here to help to deal decisively and pragmatically with the ongoing teacher shortage crisis which, from all indications, will not be going away soon, no matter how we spin it!

Lloyd B Smith has been involved in Jamaican media for the past 47 years. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.