Crawford suggests summer lump sum, special NHT benefits for teachers

Opposition Spokesperson on Education Damion Crawford is proposing that the Government pay teachers a lump sum salary at the beginning of summer to curtail the number of last-minute resignations at the end of August. 

More than 400 teachers handed in their notices just days before the start of the new school year. 

“This puts the schools, the parents, the students and indeed the government at a precarious position to fill the spaces within seven to eight days as schools start within the next nine days, September three,” Crawford said at a press conference on Monday. 

Crawford suggested the teachers should receive their June, July and August salaries at the end of June.

To increase the competitiveness of the field, Crawford also suggested that the government provide motor vehicle concessions of varying percentages to teachers to reflect the number of years they have served in the public sector.

“This increased access to motor vehicles would improve upon the livelihood for our Jamaica to be more competitive for our teachers,” he said. 

And in addition to upgrading staff rooms to create a comfortable environment for teachers to work in, he said the Government should also consider the reduction of teachers' student debt by between five and 10 per cent for every year they stay within the public education system. 

The National Housing Trust (NHT) should also be tapped to provide additional “sweeteners” for the profession, he said. he suggested that teachers get a special limit of $14 million dollars from the organisation with an interest rate of one per cent which would transform to a normal loan once the teacher leaves the classroom. 

Currently contributors can access $7.5 million from the NHT. 

“Again I remind many Jamaicans that many of our commercial banks use these preferential loans to retain their own staff and so we would encourage the NHT and the government to consider a special rate and a special amount for teachers in an attempt to remain competitive,” he said. 

“The vast majority of teachers leaving our shores are not owners of their own home and are in fact seeking to return to Jamaica as homeowners themselves, the likelihood of owning a home is a necessary sweetener for competitiveness for our teachers,” he added. 

- Sashana Small

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.