JTA president flags school challenges as new academic year begins

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President La Sonja Harrison has raised concerns about the conditions facing some students and educators as schools reopen for the 2026–2027 academic year. In her back-to-school message Monday, Harrison acknowledged the efforts being made to prepare schools for reopening but warned that some students and teachers will still return to facilities affected by mould, inadequate furniture, unfinished repairs, poor lighting, tented classrooms, water shortages, and other challenges. “That cannot be your standard, Jamaica,” she said.

Harrison said conditions at some schools, particularly in western Jamaica, remain “deeply concerning” and questioned how certain school closures and consolidations are being managed. She argued that, in some cases, communication with teachers, parents, principals, and school boards has raised concerns about respect for educators and whether meaningful consultation is taking place. The JTA president also criticised what she described as a gap between discussions about teacher autonomy and the way educators are treated.

She pointed to Finland’s education system as an example of one built on trust and professional respect for teachers. “If we admire educational systems such as that of Finland, then we must be prepared to examine the principles that make those systems successful, including trust in and respect for educators,” she said. Harrison also maintained that the Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC) Bill, in its current form, “cannot stand”.

“We await the promised meeting and the update regarding the latest amendments as disclosed by the honourable minister of education,” she said. She highlighted specific examples of ongoing challenges, including conditions at Aboukir High School, where she said a condemned building has remained unresolved since October 2025. According to Harrison, students and teachers have been forced to share sanitation facilities while repairs to the main building have yet to begin.

She also pointed to furniture shortages, including termite damage, along with infrastructure problems at Alligator Pond Primary and recent developments at Balcombe Drive. “Many children will still return to unacceptable conditions, mould, inadequate furniture, unfinished repairs, furnace light and poorly lit tents, water challenges, and other deficiencies, and then we call it resilienc…