American trade unionist urges JTA to attract and represent new teachers

Andre Poyer, Staff Reporter

One American trade unionist is urging the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) to be creative in attracting new teachers to combat the high numbers who leave the profession yearly.

Speaking yesterday at the JTA’s Annual General Conference, Nathan Allen, from the National Education Association in the United States, said the teaching profession could be diminished if new teachers are not recruited and guided by teachers’ unions.

Allen said the JTA needs to find out the interest of young teachers and focus on meeting those needs through union representation.

He said this can help attract other more teachers to the union.

According to Allen, unions worldwide are facing membership challenges.

But he said the challenges provide an opportunity for bodies, like the JTA, to design programmes to engage new entrants to the teaching profession.