The United States and the United Kingdom are again seeking to woo hundreds of the island's teachers, but Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) President, Doran Dixon, said some may decide not to leave the classroom because of the recent salary increase from the Government.

In an advertisement published in The Sunday Gleaner, Jobquest international said it was looking for teachers in the areas of mathematics, science, business studies, design and technology, information computer technology, food technology and textiles, for the 2009 school year, to work in the UK.

In another advertisement, the Teachers Council said it was looking for mathematics, science, special education, foreign languages and early-childhood teachers for schools in the United States.

Both advertisements promised excellent benefits for the teachers, including visas for children and spouses.

"The increase will cause some people to stop and evaluate the situation as to where they are now and where they were last year," Dixon told The Gleaner yesterday.

He also noted that teachers who emigrated might also re-evaluate their situation.

The JTA in October inked a new salary-and-fringe-benefits agreement with the Government, which will see teachers' salaries move to 80 per cent of their counterparts' in the private sector.

First payment

The new agreement is for the 2008-2010 contract period and will cost the Government $15 billion. Teachers are to receive their first payment in December.

However, Dixon noted that the increase for the individual teacher was not as fantastic as people make it out to be.

"It is an increase that we can live with for now. Everybody keeps looking at the $15 billion but we need to remember that it is for the payment of almost 30,000 teachers over a three-year period," he said.

The JTA head noted that this new recruitment drive would indicate that, although teachers get the blame for the poor results in the education system, there are foreign institutions that are still coming back year after year to recruit Jamaican teachers.

He used the opportunity to stress that there were other factors, such as a shortage of resources, which have been hindering the teachers.

Minister of Education Andrew Holness, responding to suggestions that teachers might stay in Jamaica because of the recent salary increase, said educators do not emigrate solely because of economic factors.

He noted that although economic factors were significant, some leave the island to enhance their skills and get academic exposure.

"We don't want to stop that but we are trying to (improve) the economic condition so that teachers who want to stay and ply their trade can do so," Holness told The Gleaner.

"We would love to keep the best teachers here but we also recognise that it is a global market," said Holness, adding that Jamaica could exploit the market and train more teachers who can then emigrate and provide remittances for the country.

petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com