Letter of the Day | Outsiders shouldn’t regulate the teaching profession

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I had decided to steer clear of the current impasse between the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) and the framers of the Jamaica Teaching Council Bill. I had my say as a former member of the central executive of the JTA.

This constant reference to the 20-year gestation period as if the fact that the bill has been in the making for 20 years is reason enough to go ahead with it is imprudent at best. Let’s tell it like it is.

Teachers will never be happy with any bill that gives people outside of the teaching profession so much power over them that they can be outnumbered and outvoted by people who are not teachers. This is a principled position.

Can you imagine having more people outside of the legal profession regulating the legal profession, or people outside of the medical profession outnumbering those in the medical profession on the Jamaica Medical Council? Who would tolerate that?

Everyone who used to teach, but could not continue because of salary or some other reason are now the experts and keep pontificating on what should happen in the teaching profession. There is no need to be disrespectful of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association. Teachers just need to have a greater say in the “professionalisation” process by having more members on the council. There is no business or entity without stakeholders. Do you need stakeholders to outnumber lawyers and doctors on their own council, so why do we think teachers should accept less?

WINNIE ANDERSON-BROWN