JTA Calls For A Revamp In Teachers’ Training

Call for Revamp in Teachers’ Training: As the country transitions into the new normal of living with COVID-19, the impact on education could be devastating. While classes are being facilitated online, the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, is calling for the revamping of the teachers’ training. The Association wants the training to navigate the digital challenges.

The association says the call to revamp will better equip teachers with the requisite skillset. The call has also been met with great optimism.

However, while fundamentally acknowledging, the merits of face to face learning, teachers remain hopeful that the online era will bring about the desired results.

The President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, Jasford Gabriel recently stated that teachers will have to retool, in order to manage themselves and their virtual classrooms.

Three high school teachers from across Jamaica shared their opinion on this new curriculum renovation. 

“This is a good initiative, it will be quite recommended by many and I believe that consistent and ongoing training can also be a main factor in getting this achieved,” one teacher said.

Meanwhile, Early Childhood Educator from St Ann, Nadia Henry, says teachers are finding it difficult to adjust, which makes this latest proposal necessary.

” In this time of COVID-19 I think that is a good idea to help us teachers who aren’t tech savvy,” another responded.

Sihle Atkinson, a secondary level Spanish Educator, says the year 2020 has been full of changes and transitions and the educational sector hasn’t been exempted. 

Atkinson is positive that the revamp programme will be of great value to educators island wide. She says even teachers who are proficient in the digital world, will need to adapt to this new system.

“The Jamaican resilience and creativity, I know will have to shine through here to help us and our students to power through to the other side because we all have a common goal here for our students to be educated and equipped for the future and that no student be left behind,” she said.

CVM LIVE spoke to Principal of Mico Teachers College, Dr. Asburn Pinnock on the facilities that have been put in place to facilitate the new teaching programme, Dr. Pinnock says his institution is well under way.

Paige Dixon reports: