Teacher retention in Turks & Caicos Makes Rivetting Topic at Education Symposium  

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, March 13, 2023 – More money and better working conditions are what the Turks and Caicos need to fix its teacher retention problem, said Robert Hall, a former Minister of Education in a recent Education Symposium geared at addressing the issue.

Teacher retention is a longstanding dilemma, with the constant carousel of educators coming into the country and leaving just as quickly thus forcing students to operate without teachers in some cases, loading pressure onto the educators who stay behind, and denying students a full learning experience.

Hall had suggestions not just for the Government, but for teachers as well maintaining that the issue was a two-way street.

Firstly, he said it was incumbent upon the government to improve the physical setting of the schools to provide an environment conducive to learning, and for parents and teachers to monitor and encourage more gentle use of amenities by children.

“There must be constant upgrades in physical amenities and in terms of technology,” He said firmly.

The second issue Hall talked about was salaries, which needed urgent reassessment as young locals could not truly live off of it.

“If we are to retain teachers, then you must regrade and pay teachers better. I don’t see how any young man, if he’s not fortunate to have a wife or significant other earning quite a bit more to complement the little he earns, could raise a family.”

Additionally, in terms of remuneration, Hall challenged Rachel Taylor, Minister of Education, to draw up a new bill to be tabled in Cabinet to fix the measly $500 and $600 pensions that some retired teachers were receiving.

“I cannot understand for the love of me, how we could provide a thousand dollars a month in unemployment benefits– while our retired teachers who helped to mold and produce the leaders we have today can hardly make ends meet- fix that immediately. When I last checked we had money, we still have money — leverage that 14 to one!” he commanded.

He maintained that teachers were the cornerstone of every profession and should be treated as such, being paid with ‘more than lip service.’

While training Turks and Caicos islanders is the ultimate goal, he also encouraged the Government to retain some of the excellent contract workers.

“We are competing with others, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Canada and elsewhere, that is why so often when the school opens, the department is criticized because people think they are not doing their jobs.”

In reality, he said, the Turks and Caicos was simply not competitive enough in terms of salaries. It is a sentiment that has been repeated across departments, especially the health department.

Having regular stakeholder meetings to provide an avenue for discourse, suggestions and ‘for the cross-fertilization of ideas’ was another recommendation by the former minister.

Finally, he encouraged TCIG to utilize the Land Policy to empower all TC Islanders, Teachers in particular, and in doing so, aid the process of teacher retention.

“Every stick of residential crown land should be placed in a land bank reserved for Turks and Caicos Islanders, and subdivisions should be created, whereby Islanders, teachers included, could access land, if not totally free just with the administrative costs,” He contended.

As for what teachers could do, he wanted them to always upgrade themselves instead of being complacent because they had a first degree. He encouraged them to seek opportunities to specialize in areas or increase their level of education which would intern benefit the students and also qualify them for fatter paychecks.