The National Union of Teachers (NUT) will be lobbying the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DfCSF) on Wednesday, 11 July 2007 to publicise its concerns and to underline the strength of feeling in calling for a postponement of the changes relating to the employment of overseas trained teachers.
The statutory provisions relating to the employment of overseas trained teachers (OTTs) are contained in the ‘Education (Specified Work and Registration) (England) Regulations 2003’ (SI 2003/No.1663) (‘the Regulations’).
Amendments to the Regulations that are due to come into force on 1 September 2007 would require OTTs to achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) within a four year period.
It would, therefore, no longer be possible for OTTs without QTS to continue teaching after four years under any circumstances.
Whilst the NUT believes that four years would be a reasonable period in which these overseas trained teachers could have gained qualified teacher status in England, it is concerned that many OTTs were not advised of the requirement and have not, therefore, had the opportunity to access the training necessary to gain QTS.
In addition, the union is concerned that the proposed regulations are in contravention of the spirit of the Commonwealth Teacher Recruitment Protocol adopted by the Government on September 1, 2004.
Under paragraph 3.10 ‘the recruiting countries should provide dedicated programmes to enable such teachers to achieve fully qualified status in accordance with any domestic requirements of the recruiting country’.
Paragraph 5.2 refers to the teachers having ‘a responsibility to inform themselves regarding all terms and conditions of current and future contracts of employment, and to comply with these’.
The NUT says: ‘The information that the union has from its OTT casework is that in very many cases, teachers have enquired and received wrong information about their future employment status.’
The NUT has called, in correspondence with the Secretary of State and in its response to a consultation on the amendments, for the government to allow sufficient flexibility for the teachers concerned to gain the necessary qualifications to continue teaching in our schools.
The NUT adds: ‘The union has therefore sought to persuade the Department for Children, Schools and Families to postpone the introduction of the amendments for one year.
‘A significant number of members are affected by the provisions.
‘Some are threatened with dismissal and possible removal from the UK, or have already been issued with notices of dismissal and removal.’
The NUT will be lobbying the DfCSF on Wednesday, 11 July 2007 to publicise its concerns and to underline the strength of feeling in calling for a postponement of the changes.
In an appeal to members, the union said: ‘A good turn-out at the lobby will help highlight the strength of feeling on this issue and to this end, divisions and associations are requested to publicise the lobby and encourage attendance, wherever possible, from their area.’
The union is also seeking support from MPs to table an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons.
Lobbyists have been asked to assemble at the Home Office, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF for 5.00pm.
NUT General Secretary Steve Sinnott will then deliver a letter to the DfCSF at Sanctuary Buildings.
• Jamaican teachers working in the UK have accused the British government of mistreatment.
The Jamaicans who were recruited at the height of a teacher shortage in the UK five years ago, are claiming that they are being forced from their jobs now that the situation has changed.
Scores of Jamaican educators are under threat of being axed for failing to gain Qualified Teacher Status before the end of the current school year.
Shauner Murray a displaced Jamaican teacher in Britain has blasted the Labour government for acting unfairly by imposing stringent requirements.
She said: ‘Now the shortages are no longer as dire, they are saying, “We are tightening the rules”.
‘We need to understand that this rule isn’t new. It has been around since 1993. However, they allowed it to be relaxed.
‘But now, a lot of people are saying, “Well we really need to tighten it up because we have so many immigrants taking the posts, and we are indeed training people to take these posts.
‘ “We need to now have the window open for these people we are training.”
‘However, they need to take responsibility for the group of people that they recruited at a time when they needed us, and allowed the rules to be relaxed.’
Britain’s National Union of Teachers has come to the assistance of the teachers.
As well as lobbying the Home Office, the NUT has also planned a protest march in London next month and is to present a petition to new Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Meanwhile, the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) says it will welcome any teacher forced to return to the island from the UK.
The JTA says these teachers will be bringing back vital experience to the classroom in Jamaica.
Reacting to reports that a number of teachers may be forced to return to the island at the end of the school year in the UK, JTA President Hopeton Henry said that he would be raising the issue at the association’s central executive meeting (which was held yesterday, Tuesday 10 July).
He said however if there is a significant influx of teachers returning from the UK, there could be complications as teachers are being recruited from abroad to address the shortage in Jamaica.
A number of Commonwealth teachers, many of whom are Jamaicans facing dismissal from the UK, have since sent a petition to Brown asking for the time to be extended.
