All teachers need incentives

by Vilna Ollivierre 05.OCT.07

Almost fifteen years ago I joined the staff at the St. Vincent Grammar school as a teacher of A’ Level Accounting. I was at a Grade 8 salary scale. While my class, then, consisted of 21 students, the school sadly lacked the requisite material resources. There was no Accounting syllabus or Accounting text. There were also no past papers in A’ level Accounting.{{more}} As a concerned teacher my first task was to source these necessities as I considered them vital in the execution of my duties as subject teacher. I speedily conducted transactions in England and in a short space of time had the materials required. I incurred a cost, but to me familiarizing myself in the layout and content of A’ level exercises, and gaining experiences in practice examples were far more rewarding than counting the cost incurred in syllabus material and past papers.

In those early years, Business Subjects were not regaled as having the same levels of importance as the Sciences. A student of Business rarely got the grades to be awarded an Island Scholarship. It was unheard of. But, in spite of the limitations, as the sole teacher of the subject I endeavoured to give of my best. That school year (1993 – 1994), five (5) or 23% of the students who wrote Accounting gained a pass. For the next school year (1994-95), the pass rate jumped to 72.4% with two (2) students each gaining a grade A. Each consecutive year after this period witnessed not only the steady increase in the pass rate but also an increase in student enrollment in this subject option.

Shortly after my arrival, the Faculty was blessed with two other Business teachers in the fields of Economics and Business Studies. As a team we motivated our students to attain high levels of achievements in the Business Faculty and our efforts were rewarded as we unfailingly captured at least two Island Scholarships each year. All of us within this faculty have worked hard to prepare our students for examinations and for the world of work. We have loved them, coaxed them and counseled them. We have also supported them in other meaningful ways.

All teachers within this department have over 20 years of teaching experience. We also have Master’s degrees in our specific fields and we have given our best years to the teaching of our nation’s children. But have we been ever thanked by the General public?

While we have quietly observed these discrepancies, we have not mulled for long over these graceless gestures. We consoled ourselves with the fact that we were contributing to our civic responsibilities and subsequently were satisfied that we were doing a good job (or so we thought). Wasn’t I rudely awakened when a few weeks ago I saw this quotation from a Ministry of Education official in one of our newspapers? :

‘… I agree wholeheartedly (to a comment made by the Prime Minister). To attract the quality teachers we are looking for, we will have to provide incentives. A good science teacher is not going to remain for 10, 15 years at the same grade level’.

That was hitting hard below the belt. I do not want to continue the debate over the lack of good science teachers in the system but I am peeved that science teachers at the Community College are seen as more deserving of incentives than teachers of other faculties at this institution. If such a gesture is to be promoted, without similar considerations be given to teachers within other faculties, wouldn’t the Ministry of Education experience difficulties in attracting younger “non-science” teachers to remain in the system? When the teachers over 40 years of age retire from the Community college, wouldn’t incentives have to be given to all younger teachers to entice them to remain?

It must be noted that all teachers of Business at the St. Vincent Community College have other options. How many persons in this country holding a Master’s degree in Economics, Business, Marketing, Accounting or Finance are presently teaching in a full time capacity? I am an ACCA Certified Accountant. I too have options. Some offer extremely lucrative provisions. Moreover, I am daily reminded of how lazy and unambitious I am, how much of a joker I seem to be, teaching. My students too implore me to “look for a job”. But, I am doing what I love best – teaching and training young minds. I am well placed to fulfill the mandate which God has given me. I am in the right place at the right time. Had I not known my destiny, that statement made by the Ministry official would not only have infuriated me, but would have driven me to get a “good job” elsewhere. After all you would agree that there is the assumption (purported by many in our society) that hardworking, committed, loyal, results-getting Business teachers can never be equated with, “good science teachers”.

I have been teaching Advanced Accounting for almost 15 years. I am still at the same Grade 8 level of pay. Like the science teachers, I too have bills to pay but I have never complained. Do I have professional qualifications? Yes….on two levels: Firstly as a Qualified Teacher, secondly as an Accountant. Yet, there is no incentive for my effort. Every year I pay £160 and more as subscription to ACCA as membership fees. Am I given that fee as an incentive? Certainly not. I was told that other professionals who work with the Government are entitled to “payment in lieu of private practice”. After consultation with the relevant authorities; I was informed that as there were insufficient numbers of persons in my situation, an argument could not be made for my case. In what country would you find a Certified Accountant not working where the money is? In St. Vincent, of course!

Since it would seem that neither the Ministry of Education nor the St. Vincent Teachers’ Union hold my interest at heart, I am appealing to the Government to consider incentives not for “good science teachers” only, but also for all good teachers within the system. Our varying fields and expertise are all worthy of reward.