The Editor, Sir:

Sheldon McDonald's Letter of the Day published on Monday July 14, raises some very valid points. My own observations over 30 years in the classroom leads me to agree with all that he says. However, the solution he suggests can only be achieved over the very long term.

In the meantime there are a number of approaches that can be taken to improve the profession and rebuild its status. Instead of insisting that every teacher has a master's or even a bachelor's degree we ought to introduce professional exams within the profession which, together with on the job assessment, would be linked to promotion and salary increase.

Sitting on qualifications

This would encourage teachers to improve their own education as long as they are in the profession. There are too many of us who sit on our qualifications and never read another book after acquiring the letters behind our names.

In addition to this, I believe that the system should be restructured to give more pay to those teachers who teach weaker students. This is what is done in countries such as France and Finland. In Canada, the teachers who get the best pay are those who go to isolated areas. The system in Jamaica, in my view, encourages pedagogical laziness where teachers use their degrees to get into a so-called good school, with the cream of the GSAT crop, where they get excellent results without much effort.

A good teacher must have an interest in ideas and a desire to teach students how to think.

I am, etc.,

R. HOWARD THOMPSON

roi-anne@hotmail.com

Rockton, Waltham

Mandeville

Via Go-Jamaica