Philip Patterson | Draping the dinner table: Credentials as camouflage in education

The education system in Jamaica has long been a subject of scrutiny, particularly regarding the quality of its teachers. The Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) and various political figures often point to the recruitment of Jamaican educators by schools in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom as evidence of their high calibre. However, this perspective warrants a more nuanced examination.

Our teachers are frequently recruited to work with populations in metropolitan countries that have a history of academic underperformance. While this underscores the demand for English-speaking educators, it raises important questions about the long-term implications for educational equity — both abroad and, critically, at home.

INTERPLAY OF KNOWLEDGE AND PEDAGOGY

The foundation of effective teaching lies at the intersection of content mastery and pedagogical skill – pedagogical content knowledge. While subject expertise is essential, it alone does not ensure successful teaching. Research shows that expert practitioners may organise knowledge to generate new insights in their field, but such approaches are often ineffective in classroom settings. Teachers must reframe their knowledge to suit pedagogical frameworks that support student understanding. The teacher’s role is not merely to deliver information but to translate it.

Take mathematics, for example. Competence in teaching the subject requires much more than computational fluency. It demands the ability to break down abstract concepts into digestible parts, integrate literacy strategies into instruction, and design learning aids — like manipulatives or simulations—that boost comprehension and engagement. Motivation, too, plays a critical role. At its best, teaching occurs when pedagogical versatility meets deep content knowledge.

EARNING MORAL AUTHORITY

Teachers hold significant moral authority in the classroom — but this authority must be earned. It flows not just from empathy or discipline, but from credibility. Students are unlikely to be inspired by someone who cannot confidently answer a basic subject question. Mastery of the content earns student respect and models intellectual seriousness.

Accordingly, subject expertise must be the bedrock of teacher education. It is around this expertise that the teacher training process must impart knowledge, from all the domains that come under the scope of pedagogical content knowledge. Without a firm grasp of content, pedagogical training becomes precarious. Pedagogical techniques should be introduced only after foundational subject knowledge is secured. Without this sequence, we are building castles on sand.

FLAWED TRAINING MODEL

Unfortunately, Jamaica’s current teacher training paradigm attempts to teach pedagogy concurrently with school-level content. This approach is deeply flawed. Many trainees enter the system lacking mastery of the material they are expected to teach. Under these conditions, layering pedagogical instruction is not just ineffective — it is counterproductive.

The historical record underscores this point. In the 1980s, the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) mathematics syllabus — modelled after Singapore’s — originally included a section on logic. It was eventually removed, not due to student difficulty, but because too many teachers were unable to teach it. This illustrates a deeper issue: the gap between curriculum aspirations and teacher capability. The push to promote “critical thinking” is undermined when many teachers themselves lack these essential cognitive skills.

CAMOUFLAGE IN EDUCATION

Most teachers who pursue advanced degrees gravitate towards low-rigour graduate degrees, particularly those offered by online, for-profit institutions. These programnes often prioritise revenue over academic integrity, resulting in diminished standards of instruction and assessment. Consequently, the credentials they confer typically demand less intellectual effort and offer limited academic substance compared to more rigorous, traditional programmes. Yet, on paper, these degrees are often treated as equivalent. This false parity creates an illusion of competence.

As a result, leadership roles in education — education officers, principals, curriculum advisors — are increasingly occupied by individuals whose qualifications reflect convenience rather than competence. This is the administrative equivalent of draping a dinner table with a kitchen towel. The consequences include the devaluation of genuine scholarly achievement, organizational gaps in understanding what constitutes rigorous educational standards, resistance to meaningful reform, the marginalization of merit- based advancement, and the enforcement of mediocrity.

TOWARDS RIGOROUS REFORM

The Jamaican education system faces substantial challenges that impede the development of both teachers and students. To reverse our decline and ensure global competitiveness, we must recommit to academic u at every level of teacher preparation.

While teacher migration may temporarily relieve staffing shortages abroad, it entrenches a cycle of underperformance at home and in the countries they serve. Reform must include a reevaluation of teacher education — one that prioritises deep content knowledge before pedagogy. Only then can we hope to produce educators equipped to inspire critical thinking, foster academic excellence, and lead systemic transformation.

Philip A. Patterson has served as a lecturer at Shortwood Teachers’ College, Moneague College, and the College of Agriculture, Science, and Education. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.