Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter

The Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA), yesterday, reported that an additional 100 teachers had been deregistered from tertiary institutions for non-payment of tuition fees, and has blamed this on the Government's failure to provide those teachers with money from the promised $500-million revolving loan fund.

"The teachers are angry!" declared Juno Gayle, JTA officer for the South Central region.

He added, "Teachers are being deregistered from both local and offshore institutions."

Speaking yesterday during a press conference, held at the JTA's head offices, Mr. Gayle noted that when a teacher is deregistered, especially from offshore institutions, it sometimes takes two years before the programme restarts, noting that this affects the time some teachers take to complete their studies.

Broke down and cried

Mr. Gayle related that a male teacher, who was pursuing tertiary studies, broke down and cried when it was revealed to him that the revolving loan fund was not ready.

In 2005, then Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson, announced at the People's National Party (PNP) annual conference that the Government would be implementing a $500-million revolving loan fund to upgrade the country's roughly 17,000 teachers who are without a first degree. This was in keeping with a recommendation made by the Task Force report on education.

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller announced at last year's PNP conference that the fund was in place.

Hopeton Henry, president of the JTA, said the revolving loan fund was part of the compensation agreement signed by the teachers and the Government, last October.

"But the Government has reneged on this heads of agreement and has not acted in good faith," Mr. Henry said.

- petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com