• JTA head pledges support to watchdog group

About 600 teachers who fall under the umbrella of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) have volunteered to work with the local election watchdog group, Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE).

The Association's president Patrick Smith said JTA volunteers have been attending CAFFE's parish chapter meetings across the island, and he noted that the JTA has been quite active in parish leadership. Mr. Smith told The Gleaner that the association has been urging people to sign up to join CAFFE before the deadline for registration of volunteers.

"We have to ensure that the (electoral) process comes out right...There is no substitute for vigilance," he said.

Delegates at the JTA's annual conference in August had voted for Government and the political parties to establish a group of 'persons of integrity, including representatives of national civic organisations', to observe and report on the conduct of elections. They also committed themselves to serving this group of local observers.

Mr. Smith noted that teachers had traditionally also served as returning officers and poll clerks on election, and said the JTA is encouraging its members to sign up to work with the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ). He said while the association did not expect all of its 20,000 members to volunteer with CAFFE or the EOJ, it wanted all teachers to get involved in the electoral process, directly or indirectly.

"In every community across the island, no matter how small, the one institution you will always find is a school. And the teacher ought to be an example of service and commitment to the community," he said.

Mr. Smith also noted that while many schools have traditionally been used as polling stations, some teachers had expressed concerns about vandalism and damage to schools on election day. He said teachers and principals had therefore been advised to lock away property and ensure that offices and store rooms were secure.