President of the Jamaica Teacher’s Association (JTA) Winston Smith says many of the nation’s teachers are planning to leave the education sector if wage negotiations with the Government do not end positively.

The JTA has been engaged in wage talks with the Ministry of Finance, since last year.

The Ministry had proposed a 4 per cent wage increase, but the JTA had refused to sign the agreement, saying it was not sufficient for teachers to live a sustainable lifestyle.

Speaking with IRIE FM news this morning (January 25), Mr. Smith said the poor salaries being paid to educators, will result in a further reduction of the number of teachers left in the system.

Meantime, the JTA president noted that steps are being taken to determine the number of teachers needed to address staff shortages.