EDUCATION MINISTER Maxine Henry-Wilson said yesterday that the recently-concluded teacher performance evaluation instrument will not be used to penalise teachers but is geared at improving the standard of education throughout the country.Speaking at the launch of a Ministry of Education-initiated pilot training programme a possible prelude to the introduction of performance pay for teachers Mrs. Henry-Wilson said while the instrument or policy document may eventually be used to allow for both sanctions and incentives, the primary goal is to strive for excellence within the classrooms.
"Performance assessment is what education is all about ... it is how at the end of the day we determine what value has been added to our children based on what has been provided," she said. "Performance measurement is an attempt to come up with some objective basis to determine how the system is being managed. It has nothing to do with pay-related output."
PERFORMANCE
The Minister's comments came against concerns raised by a number of educators, including members of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) that any move to pay teachers based solely on their performance within the classroom would be counter-productive for the system.
And responding to concerns that the instrument was ill-timed and had been fast-tracked, Mrs. Henry-Wilson said: "We are not in a rush, the time has come... we have to do it now. The Ministry has to put in place the recording system ... to provide winners all around. No longer can people say the principal doesn't like me or the educational officer didn't like me. The facts will speak for themselves."
Meanwhile, some principals and regional directors of the Education Ministry have endorsed the move.
Acting Chief Education Officer with the Education Ministry, Adelle Brown, said the instrument was never meant to intimidate teachers.
"It was never developed as a punitive measure, or as a colonial 'bigstick'," she said. "It will be successful because it is predicated by democracy, transparency confidentiality, it is non-threatening, non-punitive, positive and supportive of teachers."
She said the document was developed against the backdrop of several factors including the Education Ministry's strategic policy under the current public sector modernisation programme, heightened sensitivity to the outputs of the system and prevailing demand for quality education."
The six-page document outlines three areas for measurement; observation of teaching skills, teacher professionalism, leadership management including provisions for the individual teacher to comment on the rating received.
