Dear Editor,
The figures quoted below are extracted from the 2015 Estimates approved in the recent Parliament. It is not certain whether the then announced uplift in public service salaries automatically applies to the teaching profession, as this has not been the case in the past.
Compared to the more ordered progression of the bandwidths in the Public Service salary structure, one is being polite in describing those of the Teaching Service as being so erratic as not to survive the scrutiny of any human resources management competence the world over. It is a further embarrassment to note the contradictions in some scales, eg, the respective maxima in grades
- i) TS 8(B) and 8(A);
- ii) TS 7(A) and 6;
iii) TS 5(B) 1 and 5(B)
Note too the inexplicable bandwidth of TS 14 – 12.93% – the longest – squeezed in between bandwidths of 7.27% at TS 15 and 7.85% at TS 13. This confusion also surrounds TS 6, the next widest, and TS 7A; followed by TS 5(B) 1 and TS 5(B).
It is of course difficult to comprehend the juxtaposition of the respective bandwidths of TS 2C – 4.85% and TS 2B – 11.25%. As can be seen, however, none of these dimensions compare with the width of 14.1% of the lowest scale GS 01 in the Public Service salary structure.
One cannot help but once more comment on the incongruity of the highest grade in the Teaching Service – in fact a fixed salary – euphemistically described as special (in capital letters), of $236,301. The Ministry of Education should enquire of incumbents of the relevant posts how they feel about such ‘special’ discrimination.
Yours faithfully,
E B John
