Too many untrained teachers

SOME educators are insisting that there are too many untrained teachers in the classrooms across the region after over 50 years of trying.
During a panel discussion today at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, on the topic Teacher Development In The Region: Knowing What Was, What Is And What Should Be, second vice-president of the Caribbean Union of Teachers Karen Best told a room of current and former educators that while there were a number of training institutions for teachers to further develop their skills, there was a great level of disparity in the qualifications.
“There are significant numbers of teachers in secondary schools without professional qualifications. There are too many teachers in our systems who are untrained and unable to access training and worst yet, indifferent to training. It seems as if we are unable to train sufficient numbers of teachers to keep pace with the attrition rate or even better to outstrip the attrition rate,” suggested Best.
Jennifer Obidah, lecturer at the Cave Hill Campus suggested that even though some success had been achieved in terms of training of teachers there was still a long way to go.
“A considerable number of untrained teachers are still in the educational systems around the region. In some Caribbean countries the percentage of untrained teachers in the system are still over 50 per cent and a number of them who are trained are teaching out of their subject area,” she said.
During the discussion members of the audience were also given the opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns. (MM)