Overstaffing in schools

Dec 03, 2017 Education Corner, Features / Columnists

---

by Olato Sam

The issue of overstaffing in schools is not something we have had to address in the education system in Guyana, until now. For clarity, it must be stated that this issue is only relevant to the coastal education departments as there are still acute shortages of teachers in various hinterland and deep riverine communities.
In addition, at the secondary level, teachers are still needed in key areas such as the sciences, mathematics, English, various technical subjects, physical education and the Arts. As it relates to early childhood, primary and the remaining secondary subject areas; however, most coastal departments of education are facing the challenge of overstaffing.
This would have been compounded by the approximately 450 teachers who just graduated from CPCE and the projected 335 in 2018. Simply put, many regions do not have the capacity to absorb these additional trained teachers. On the surface this might be regarded by some as a problem, however a deeper analysis indicates the opportunity for strategic adjustments that could significantly improve educational output.
This requires some tough decisions that will certainly not sit well with some individuals but will benefit the education system in the long run.
A rationalisation of the staffing in coastal nursery and primary schools would show that many schools are being forced to be ‘creative’ with their excess staff while others are in dire need. One consequence of this is the assignment of teachers to teach subjects for which they are not trained. One solution that readily comes to mind is the equitable redistribution of teachers across schools within the regions to reduce class sizes and create balance.
Though this sounds simple, in practice, it is virtually impossible due to the concept of good and bad schools. The schools that are in great demand are oversubscribed and have the issues of high pupil-teacher ratios, large classes and inadequate space. At the same time, within the same departments, there are schools with nine and ten pupils per teacher and an over-abundance of space.
The redistribution of teachers can only happen when the redistribution or balancing of the placement of pupils in the system occurs. The system can ill afford to have some schools bursting at the seams while others have more than sufficient accommodation. The tough calls will have to be made to impose intake limits in the popular schools with a view to creating balance, reducing class sizes and effectively utilising the trained teachers within these education departments.
A more equitable distribution and lower class sizes should lead to improved performance in schools spread across the respective regions rather than the pockets of excellence that currently exist. Schools could now utilise these available teachers for interventions, such as the much needed remediation and enrichment classes that were once considered luxuries, to improve output.
An opportunity also exists to address the disparity in output between the coastal and hinterland regions; a key dimension of which is the shortage of trained teachers. A natural prerequisite to this in a multi-ministry—Education, Public Infrastructure and Communities—collaboration to provide adequate and appropriate housing for teachers assigned to these regions.
Too often, teachers assigned to the hinterland have had to cope with the added challenge of sub-standard living arrangements. A long-term plan for the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of teachers’ quarters is long overdue. This will facilitate the placement of trained teachers from the coast to address the existing shortages in various regions.
An incentive system and well-structured, binding agreements regarding the conditions of these placements, such as duration of assignment, travel and other entitlements, will have to be developed.
All teachers entering the system should be made aware that placement in the hinterland is highly possible.
The Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) must now focus on diversifying its offerings given the system’s inability to absorb such large numbers of trained teachers at various levels in coastal regions.
Greater emphasis must be placed on teacher training in the hinterland and deep riverine areas. Attention must be given to staffing, resources and the strategic location of new training centres in areas of greatest need. Underserved areas in the hinterland must be given specific attention.
At the same time, the emphasis at coastal centres can be placed on being more responsive to the needs of the system. Training programmes must be offered in underserved areas such as ICT, physical education, special education, guidance and counselling and the Arts. A programme must also be devised for teachers who are currently in the system that hold degrees in particular content areas but are untrained.
In addition, CPCE must play a key role in providing continuous professional development for teachers failing to meet the standards outlined in the new appraisal system about to be implemented.
These new areas would maintain the viability of the institution and compensate for the shortfall in future numbers.
Given the state of affairs, the time is right for the Ministry of Education to consult with the Guyana Teachers Union, the Teaching Service Commission, the Faculty of Education and other stakeholders regarding the entry requirements for teaching profession.
Guyana must now join the territories within the Caribbean where new teachers cannot enter the classroom without a bachelor’s degree. Clearly, these rules would not apply to all regions however steps can be taken to ensure the implementation of new policies in the relevant coastal regions.
Emphasis can also be placed on ensuring that the trained teachers in the system become graduates. The existing overstaffing within some regions could be used to address the issues created by teachers being released to attend the University.
Plans for the training of the pockets of remaining untrained teachers and upgrading the status of all trained teachers must be devised. It must be recognised that the improvements in the quality of educators in the system will have a positive impact on performance output.
The expectation should be that by a date in the not-too-distant future, all teachers in classrooms in the coastal regions have, at minimum, a first degree and most, if not all teachers in hinterland schools trained.
These adjustments must be part of the strategic planning within the system.The system needs to have a clear concept as to its positioning in both the short and long term. This should entail the broad-based assessment of its current and future staffing needs.
As previously stated, tough decisions will have to be made regarding the challenges created by overstaffing. Training quotas will have to be implemented and other unpopular decisions regarding the placement of pupils and teachers within the system will be necessary.
If these are done strategically, they have the potential to become opportunities for positively impacting the performance output of the education system.

---

---