Dear Editor,
Are we serious about guiding our beloved country out of this current economic recession? I think not!
Free education and free medical care are only two of the things that we cannot afford, yet we continue to offer them, to the detriment of our small nation.
My biggest pet peeve, however, is the fact that after we pay our teachers to stay home for four to six weeks during the summer break, we turn around and send them on paid vacation leave during the school term.
Public school teachers qualify for four months' vacation leave with pay after serving for five continuous years. Those who have spent 10 years in the classroom qualify for eight months' paid leave per calendar year.
This confirmation came by way of a pronouncement by our then minister of education Andrew Holness at the beginning of the 2010 school year. His statement was that "Over 2,500 teachers would be going on vacation at the start of the new school year". He also said that his ministry was having difficulty "finding the money to pay substitute teachers to fill these positions".
How can we afford to send our teachers on paid vacation during the school term, after they have been away from the classroom for the duration of the long summer holidays with pay? To make matters worse, we now have to find more tax dollars to pay substitute teachers to fill these positions for upwards of four months.
What if the ministry cannot find the money to pay these substitute teachers? Will our children be deprived of having quality teachers in the classroom at these times?
Another point of concern is the fact that some of these teachers, having requested and been granted vacation leave during the school term, remain in the classroom and are paid differently to work as their own "substitute" teacher (locum tenens).
This is absolutely ridiculous!
Our politicians are not serious about making decisions that will be for the good of this country. I submit that they are more concerned with staying in power and will do whatever is necessary to see to that.
I have no doubt that if they make this necessary and prudent move to have all teachers put on mandatory vacation leave at the end of each school year, the country would save millions of dollars, which could then be used to better furnish and run some of these Government schools operated by the ministry.
Would that be too much to ask? Then again, having done that, I am sure they would not see another term in Government. But what are they elected to do? Is it to retain power or is it to make prudent and necessary decisions that will benefit the country as a whole?
Concerned tax-paying Jamaican
myviews50@hotmail.com
Teachers should take vacation during the summer
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Are we serious about guiding our beloved country out of this current economic recession? I think not!
Free education and free medical care are only two of the things that we cannot afford, yet we continue to offer them, to the detriment of our small nation.
My biggest pet peeve, however, is the fact that after we pay our teachers to stay home for four to six weeks during the summer break, we turn around and send them on paid vacation leave during the school term.
Public school teachers qualify for four months' vacation leave with pay after serving for five continuous years. Those who have spent 10 years in the classroom qualify for eight months' paid leave per calendar year.
This confirmation came by way of a pronouncement by our then minister of education Andrew Holness at the beginning of the 2010 school year. His statement was that "Over 2,500 teachers would be going on vacation at the start of the new school year". He also said that his ministry was having difficulty "finding the money to pay substitute teachers to fill these positions".
How can we afford to send our teachers on paid vacation during the school term, after they have been away from the classroom for the duration of the long summer holidays with pay? To make matters worse, we now have to find more tax dollars to pay substitute teachers to fill these positions for upwards of four months.
What if the ministry cannot find the money to pay these substitute teachers? Will our children be deprived of having quality teachers in the classroom at these times?
Another point of concern is the fact that some of these teachers, having requested and been granted vacation leave during the school term, remain in the classroom and are paid differently to work as their own "substitute" teacher (locum tenens).
This is absolutely ridiculous!
Our politicians are not serious about making decisions that will be for the good of this country. I submit that they are more concerned with staying in power and will do whatever is necessary to see to that.
I have no doubt that if they make this necessary and prudent move to have all teachers put on mandatory vacation leave at the end of each school year, the country would save millions of dollars, which could then be used to better furnish and run some of these Government schools operated by the ministry.
Would that be too much to ask? Then again, having done that, I am sure they would not see another term in Government. But what are they elected to do? Is it to retain power or is it to make prudent and necessary decisions that will benefit the country as a whole?
Concerned tax-paying Jamaican
myviews50@hotmail.com
Teachers should take vacation during the summer
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