…But ministry maintains support for its implementation
But while Faber was unavailable for comment because he is currently out of the country, Information Officer of the Ministry, Arlette Gomez, says that the release from the Catholic Diocese is misleading since the ministry has always had the final say with regard to hirings in church-state schools. Gomez says the amendment simply gives the Teaching Services Commission that power instead of the Chief Education Officer. She says this change will foster accountability, transparency and a better education for the children.
Arlette Gomez, Info Officer, Ministry of Education (Via Phone)
“It basically says that the school management or proprietors have full control of who they hire. And while, in theory, that might sound true, that’s not really what it is. What it stands as is exactly the way it will be with the teaching commission, it’s just that the body that does the final hiring changes because as it stands now, they do the advertising of their posts, they collect applicants, they do their vetting, and they submit their proposed teacher to the Ministry of Education—the chief education officer via school services. Then the Ministry of Education, through the Chief Education Officer, signs off on that teacher saying we are going to pay that teacher. They still maintain the same authority they did prior to the teaching services commission if and when it is implemented. Nothing changes with regards to the managing authorities of the schools. They will still do everything that they do now. All the teaching services commission will do is to ensure that they are hiring qualified teachers to teach our children. It will take away the power from the minister or the Ministry of Education when it comes to deciding who the teachers are in our school. It proposes to stop that.”
Gomez says that the Teaching Services Commission will consist of thirteen individuals: a ministry-appointed chairman and twelve other stakeholders from within the education sector including: pre-primary, primary, secondary, tertiary, the union and the churches.
