Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter

OCHO RIOS, St. Ann:

The Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) yesterday likened the manifestos of the main political parties on education, to cheese trix, claiming that they lacked substance. At the same time, the JTA has come out strongly against a proposal by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to introduce performance-based pay for the island's teachers.

In its manifesto launched last month, the JLP promised to "institute a performance-based remuneration component for teachers determined on the basis of improvement in students' performance".

"The association is not and will not support any such movement (of) performance-based remuneration - whatever that means," Dr. Adolph Cameron, secretary general of the JTA said at the JTA's 43rd annual conference currently under way at the Jamaica Grande Hotel Resort and Spa in Ocho Rios, St. Ann.

Dr. Cameron was careful not to say, which party, put forward this proposal, but read the promise to the conference.

Performance

"You are going to be paid byperformance and the performance is the performance of the students by virtue of their performance in their examination. "I am saying categorically that the association will not support such an implementation," Dr. Cameron said amid thunderous applause from more than 100 delegates and observers who were at yesterday's afternoon session.

In his remarks, past president of the JTA, Wentworth Gabbidon, endorsed Dr. Cameron's statement adding that performance management is a trend not only in Jamaica but also in other countries across the world.

"But we must continue to enlighten those who seek to lead us, because after all we taught them to be where they are," Mr. Gabbidon told the conference, which is being held under the theme, 'Quality Education - A National Responsibility'.

Meanwhile, Hopeton Henry, immediate past president of the JTA, said the manifestos on education lacked essence.

"If you look carefully at the manifestos in relation to education, you will see it is like cheese trix - lacking in substance," Mr. Henry said, as laughter erupted at the conference. "We are in the middle of a general election and the issue of education is now a political football in election campaigns - (education is) not being taken seriously," said Mr. Henry.