Teaching service advertisements late Last year's forms used By Miranda La Rose Stabroek News April 23, 2000 The Teaching Service Commission is currently seeking applications to fill some 717 senior posts in schools countrywide. However the vacancies are usually advertised in January and are some three months late. Senior education officials were quick to point out some of the deficiencies in the advertisement which was hurriedly put together after the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) rescinded the power of regional education officers to effect appointments and transfers of senior teachers. According to the education officials, these 717 vacancies are only senior appointments. They contend that there are junior and temporary appointments that have not been looked at. Apart from a number of typographical errors, the TSC in its haste has put out the `Revised TSC Form no. 1/1999, which asks applicants to give annual confidential reports for the years 1996, 1997, 1998 instead of the years, 1997, 1998 and 1999. In addition, the form requests that applicants make their applications on prescribed forms and in duplicate. However, the TSC asks that "the original must be sent through the normal official channel of communication and the copy, clearly, marked COPY, must be despatched DIRECT to The Secretary, Teaching Service Commission, 24 Brickdam, Stabroek, Georgetown for delivery by Friday, 1999-06-30." From all indications, the form was a computer print out which was not updated in line with the rescinding of the powers of regional education officers to appoint teachers as the forms are still requesting that they be sent through them with the copy sent to the TSC. It should be noted, too, that long before the TSC sent out the notice of vacancies dated April 14, 2000 it had shifted its office to 22 Brickdam and Sendall Place. The PSC moved office in February. One official noted, too, that the headship for some schools had been advertised even though the head teachers were not due to go into retirement until later this year or early next year. On several occasions Stabroek News had sought interviews with the TSC Chairman on the state of the teaching service and vacancies that exist in the country but was unsuccessful. According to the current advertisement the secondary system is the hardest hit in terms of vacancies for teachers with there being some 340. In addition there is one headship vacancy for a sixth form school--St Rose's High. A breakdown of the vacancies shows that 263 head teachers are needed for nursery, primary and secondary schools. Of this number the primary schools need 148 heads; secondary, 21; and nursery, 92. There are some 54 vacancies for deputy head teachers. These include 33 for primary schools, 15 for secondary and six for practical instructional centres. Vacancies also exist for 127 senior masters/mistresses with five needed for nursery schools, 77 for primary, 39 for secondary and six for practical instructional centres. In terms of heads of department there are some 268 vacancies. The secondary schools alone require some 265. Three are needed in the primary system.