President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Mark Malabver says the education sector is under strain as teachers continue to leave the system.

According to him, teachers are leaving for a number of reasons, including burnout and inadequate compensation.

Highlighting that the shortage of teachers is global, he notes that there is an alarming decline in the recruitment and retention of qualified educators.

The JTA President said the issue is compounded by ongoing salary negotiations.

He was speaking at a church service hosted by the Jamaica Tertiary Education Commission in observation of World Teachers’ Day yesterday. It was held under the theme “Recasting teaching as a collaborative profession.”