Leonardo Blair, Staff Reporter
THE MINISTRY of Education has rejected the transcripts of almost 200 teachers who graduated last year with the B.Sc. in Education from the Mandeville-based Liberal Arts College of Jamaica.
The Ministry describes the transcripts as "woefully deficient", but both the Ministry and the Mandeville-based college, which received accreditation from the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) last March, have declined to discuss the alleged deficiencies.
As a result, more than 70 of last year's graduates who applied to the Ministry in their newly qualified capacities are still not being paid salaries based on their qualifications.
PONDERING THEIR FATE
Some 2,500 students currently enrolled with the institution are also now pondering their fate.
Attorney-at-law for the institution, Leighton Miller, has alleged that the Ministry of Education has been working to keep Liberal Arts College out of the "big business" education industry.
However, Edwin Thomas, public information officer for the Ministry dismissed the allegations as unfounded paranoia. The deficiencies found by the Ministry with the transcripts of Liberal Arts College graduates were discussed at length with representatives from the institution along with Mr. Miller, he said.
While refusing to elaborate on the issue between the school and the Ministry Mr. Thomas told The Sunday Gleaner that after the Ministry requested an examination of the transcripts of teachers graduating from Liberal Arts College, they found "woeful deficiencies" and pointed them out for immediate attention.
Mr. Miller however stated, "all we know is that the Ministry has refused to pay teachers despite the fact that the institution has been accredited".
Dr. Adolph Cameron, Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) secretary-general told The Sunday Gleaner that he was also aware that the Teachers Services Commission (TSC), which controls the appointment, discipline and registration of teachers in evaluating the transcripts of graduates of the LACJ found deficiencies and as far as he knew the deficiencies were being dealt with.
