Teachers working abroad gain a wealth of experience

Since the turn of the century around 40 teachers from Barbados have migrated to work in schools in New York or Kentucky. Half of those who taught in New York have subsequently gone back to Barbados, whilst the remainder are expected to return in the next few years.

These teacher migrations were welcomed earlier this week by Idamay Denny, Deputy Chief Education Officer at Barbados' Ministry of Education.

"We recognise that if we let teachers work abroad they are going to have access to a number of different educational experiences," she said.

Ms Denny argued that because many American schools have significant resources which cater for all children - from the brightest to those with learning difficulties - teachers are able to benefit significantly from their experiences.

"If you teach in one school all of your life then your experiences are inevitably going to be narrower than if you are exposed to different environments and situations," she noted.

In Barbados, corporal punishment is still "on the books," observed Ms Denny. However, when Barbadian teachers go on secondment to America they have to develop different ways of disciplining children. This leads to them implementing these new measures when they return to teach in Barbados.

Back in 2000, Barbados' government decided that in order to make sure there was no mass exodus of teachers to other countries, the process had to be managed effectively. Consequently they established regulations for teachers wishing to move abroad.

Then, in 2002, Barbados hosted a meeting of Caribbean Education Ministers who looked at the impact of teacher recruitment on the education systems of the Commonwealth's twelve Caribbean small state members. The outcome of this meeting was the Savannah Accord (2003) which later led to the development of the Commonwealth Teacher Recruitment Protocol adopted by Ministers of Education in 2004.

This protocol aims to balance the rights of teachers to migrate internationally, on a temporary or permanent basis, against the need to protect the integrity of national education systems. It also seeks to prevent the exploitation of scarce human resources in developing or low income countries.

Ms Denny, who represented Barbados on the Commonwealth Working Group on Teacher Recruitment said that it is "an excellent tool" which can be used effectively in both Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth countries.

"I believe that we were all able to make sure that all elements represented in the protocol were satisfactory for all Commonwealth countries," she recalled.

One of the main benefits of the protocol, according to Ms Denny, is that when teachers go to other countries it opens up opportunities for the unemployed.

She added that "those who have returned from a stint of teaching abroad have done so with an improved attitude. That is a big bonus for us. They are bringing a broader picture of the world of education."

The protocol also addresses the rights and responsibilities of countries from which the teachers are recruited abroad. It states that it is the responsibility of these countries to manage teacher supply and demand within the country.

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