As part of a cooperative effort to address a severe teacher shortage in the island nation’s public school system, Ghana is planning to deploy teachers to Jamaica.
This move comes as the Jamaican Ministry of Education and Youth increased its efforts to hire foreign educators to cover open jobs.
Dr. Kasan Troupe, the Permanent Secretary, declared that Ghana and the Philippines have expressed a great desire to send teachers to Jamaica.
The Jamaican Education Ministry and the Ghanaian envoy have already held preliminary talks.
To complete the plans, a group from Ghana is scheduled to visit Jamaica in August.
“What is interesting with this discussion, colleagues, is that they (the teachers) are interested in working for the same emoluments as we offer to our teachers in Jamaica,” Dr. Troupe stated.
She further highlighted the positive impact of this development, noting that some volunteers have also expressed interest in being deployed to assist with the shortage, particularly in mathematics and the sciences.
These Ghanaian teachers have reportedly agreed to work for the same salaries as local Jamaican educators, which Dr. Troupe described as a significant step forward.
This initiative is part of a broader strategy by the Jamaican government to ensure that schools are fully staffed for the upcoming academic year.
Dr. Troupe emphasized that while the international recruitment efforts are ongoing, Jamaican schools are not being mandated to hire foreign teachers but are being given additional options to ensure adequate staffing.
“Our responsibility as a ministry is to provide options for our principals… We are not forcing, but our schools must have options as they try to make sure their staff members are in place for the new academic year,” she explained.
This collaborative effort between Ghana and Jamaica highlights a proactive approach to addressing educational challenges and ensuring that students receive quality education, despite the current shortage of educators
