Mr G Smith (not his real name) is a realtor who enjoys the flexibility of his schedule and the benefits of his job. This is a far cry from his other profession, teaching, a job which he left two years ago and has no plans to return in the future. Mr Smith is one of many male teachers who are leaving the profession for what they view as greener pastures.
Statistics from the Planning and Research section of the Ministry of Education show that there are a total of 734 male teachers in the Bahamian public school system and 2,477 females. This number represents the period 2005-2006. The private schools fared no better; it is estimated that there are 363 males to 1, 228 females.
Why is there this obvious disparity in numbers of males and females in the teaching profession? Many male teachers claim they are leaving the profession because of what they view as deficiencies in the educational system and the lack of respect from administrators who they view as both patronising and restrictive. This is not solely a male problem they are quick to point out. Females leave every year because of the same problems. “We are professionals and should be treated as such,” said another teacher, who also wished to remain anonymous.
One teacher who taught for 17 years before he resigned, said that while everyone says that they want male teachers in the classroom, he wonders at the sincerity of their comments. “I find that men are treated unfairly. It seems as though they want men to lift things, they do not want men to demonstrate any sort of intellectual prowess.” He added that in terms of promotion, women are more readily promoted and this can be quite demoralising for a male teacher.
Salary was also another big factor which male teachers mention as a reason that turns them off from teaching. “A teacher cannot rely solely on his salary to take care of his family. He oftentimes has to find another job to supplement his income,” one teacher said.
Some teachers claim that this departure of men from the class room is detrimental to Bahamian children. To some kids with no father figures, a male teacher is the closest thing to a father that they will ever have, they claim. According to them, a female teacher cannot relate to a male student in the same way a male can.
Ms Johnson from L W Young said that at her school, boys clubs flounder because of the lack of enough male authority figures. She stressed that society on a whole suffers from the lack of positive male role models.
However, Minister of Education, Alfred Sears, said that the Ministry of Education is doing all it can to address some of these problems and attract male teachers to the profession. This includes a teacher cadet programme in the high schools. He said that within this programme they have been targeting male students. These students receive mentoring and a stipend. At the college level, Mr Sears said that there are currently 400 students on scholarship who will be going into the teaching profession. “We target our recruitment there as well,” he said. He added that in the recently concluded, collective bargaining agreement with The Bahamas Union Of Teachers (BUT), the government agreed to provide additional incentives to male teachers. Paternity leave and a starting salary increase for all teachers are just a few of the incentives agreed upon.
The ministry is also targeting groups of men in the hopes that they will consider the teaching profession. The minister says the police band is one such group. He said, “The men from the police band retire at a relatively young age and since we have a shortage of music teachers in our schools and these are accomplished musicians, I have been talking about a programme with the commissioner whereby these men can transition into a second career, teaching.
By: N. Thomas-Brown, Nassau Guardian Staff Reporter
