Appraisal not punitive - JTC head
Published:Sunday | October 30, 2016 | 12:00 AMAndre Poyser
Chief Executive officer of the Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC), Dr Winsome Gordon, has sought to assure teachers that a new appraisal tool being rolled out by the council is not aimed at maligning them.
Speaking at Jamaica's first National Symposium on the Teaching Profession organised by the JTC, Gordon said that the appraisal instrument should serve as a benchmark for professional development.
"One challenge that we are trying to grapple with is the matter of dialogue, and you are going to find that underpinning the appraisal is a need for dialogue. It is not punitive," she told educators attending the symposium.
TEACHERS' FEEDBACK
The JTC has been piloting the draft appraisal instruments to assess the performance of teachers and principals. The instruments, which were circulated to educators for their feedback, are to be revised after feedback from educators is taken into account.
The JTC has said the instruments will be used to identify and assess performance on critical areas of school leadership that should result in optimal learning for all students.
"The appraisal process is a dialogue, and when you have a dialogue, you bring minds together to create a work of art and you arrive at a beautiful spot where everyone understands where the ship is going and his or her role on that ship," Gordon added.
The JTC head disclosed that the appraisal tool has been met with some amount of disquiet because of fears that some teachers have about the appraisal being used to victimise them.
"During this appraisal process, we have to build trust," she said.