35% of new education staff Caymanian
(CNS): Officials from the Ministry of Education have revealed that of the 80 vacant posts in government schools for this academic year, over one third (28) have been filled by Caymanians. This includes 14 teaching assistants, one newly qualified and five experienced teachers, as well as two promotions to principal and several other specialist roles. Around 33 of the jobs filled ahead of this school year were brand new posts, the ministry has confirmed, while the rest were vacancies for existing posts.
Forty-three education professionals from around the Caribbean have either joined government schools or have been promoted from their existing jobs. They have been joined by another 16 expatriates from America, Canada, South Africa, Ireland and the UK.
Ministry officials said that 28 new assistant teaching posts were created for this academic year, as well as two Spanish specialists, an additional music specialist and a physical education specialist to support the learning hubs. An additional counsellor post was also created for this year.
More than 47 of the newly filled jobs were existing vacancies but it is not clear whether they were as a result of contracts ending and staff retiring or resigning at the end of the last school year or were longer term vacancies. The ministry confirmed that all departing staff are asked to do exit interviews but not all take up that offer, which officials believe is because previous responses have been published in the media following FOI requests.
“We are looking into an alternative method of capturing the exit information anonymously, which is hoped will result in a higher response rate,” a spokesperson for the ministry stated, adding that in the meantime, CNS would need to do an FOI request for copies of the latest responses for exit interviews.
Speaking on Radio Cayman on Monday, Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly spoke about the importance of the increase in salaries given to teachers last year in improving the morale of education staff. She said that this year the focus was on supplying school textbooks and improving access to computers.
With the school year now underway and primary schools teaching a new curriculum, the minister said that technology is playing an evermore important part in the delivery of education. The Microsoft Office programmes on teachers’ laptops have all been upgraded, and new programmes have been added, including coding to support the computing curriculum.
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Category: Education, Local News
But this doesn’t help the kids who have shite parents. Your education problem is the lack of parenting. They look at school like a daycare and not like a tool.
School already starts and they still cannot show the new curriculum. The Ministry of Education is a total joke. CIG should all be a shame of them selves, yet they are all talking about jobs for Caymanians. Educate and train your people so they compete against the people that come to their island for their jobs. If other third world countries are providing proper education and training for the youths why cant a country like the Cayman Islands do the same. I am so sorry for my Children and every body else children. …
God help those children….!!
Nationality is irrelevant. Competence on the other hand…
Juliana does not seem to understand that while she may have raised the moral of the teachers, she has done nothing to improve the standard of education.
10.45 it’s MORALE , or maybe you did mean ‘moral’ , if so please explain.
The reason there is such a low take up of the exit interview is that everyone knows nothing is done with it. In Cayman you keep your job, you are even promoted because of who you know, what church you belong to or have kept your head below the parapet. I know of people who brought up at her exit interview the bullying she endured at the hands of a Caymanian colleague and absolutely nothing was done about it. I know of numerous others in the past who brought up issues and nothing came of it. I know because I am still in the system and the grave issues raised were never addessed.
So what? Why does it matter? What good does it do to Education of children?
Actually only 6 Caymanian teachers excluding “teaching assistants”, we still have a long way to go. Local teachers are vital in providing continuity and motivation, which is lacking in a lot of the expat teachers.
If you pay teachers properly, like the $5000 minimum that was promised, that may very well entice locals to get qualified as teachers and see it as a viable career path.
What I would like to know is why did Julianna renege on her promise of giving teachers the $5000 minimum per month. Remember when that was published in the newspaper last year? She talks about getting the best qualified teachers, but when she pulls moves like this it just undermines everything she says she wants to achieve.
Talk is cheap. She was never in a position to delivery her promise without full cabinet approval. Also I am not sure what she wants to achieve in education since she knows nothing whatsoever about the subject. I teach in Cayman and can categorically say that based on the performance of most schools, we should not be getting a pay rise but I will take one when it comes.
Ministry of Education can’t do basic math. Adding up the 28 Caymanians, the 43 other Caribbean teachers and the 16 other expats doesn’t add back to the 80 slots available!
Kind of emphasizes the issue at hand, doesn’t it?
How do they know the Caymanians are Caymanian. Have Immigration provided confirmation?
No silly. Following the requirements of law only applies to the private sector.
That my friend is an excellent question. Me thinking Immigration is asleep at the wheel.
geezz, who cares??!! The Ministry of Education is a JOKE and no amount of Caymanian teachers will fix the issues in the public schools! This should not be your focus, what should be is maybe to ask the Ministry how they plan to hold this staff accountable when the reports come out and they’re still failing!! Every 6 months they will be evaluated again, until the recommendations are met from the previous reports. THAT should be what you focus your attention on, not how many expat teachers or locals there are! These kids deserve better! Hold your Ministry accountable for not making that happen!! Changing the curriculum every few years does nothing for anyone; they’re just constantly putting a band-aid over a problem instead of trying to dive deep and fix it!
That is so true 9:34 a.m.
Let us discuss how the new curriculum will raise the standard and quality of education. It doesn’t matter who teaches in our system, we need to ensure that our children are learning.
Why can’t our schools be rated as “good or excellent?” What are we doing wrong? What do we need to do to meet international standards?
I work in the system and the whole thing seems like a maze, simply confusing.
One of my kids went to John Cumber for Year 2-3, the inspections were horrible! They had approx 19 recommendations from the inspection 6 months prior (and 6 months before that as well) and only 2-3 were fixed; leaving the school with inadequate marks again! That needs to be the Ministry’s focus… get those recommendations sorted so the kids get the education they deserve and need to get ahead in this life! Do what the report says to fix and then you’ll be able to achieve good, then excellent! They have a lonnnnnng road to get there, and it’s really sad their own Ministry does nothing to support it! Oh great, you’re giving them text books?? WOW! I thought text books came with going to school in the first place? Why would she be boasting on and on about that? There’s just so many things wrong, and it starts at the TOP and they NEED TO GOOOO!!!
It’s Jhon Cumber.