Guidelines For The Grant Of Sabbatical Leave In Keeping With Regulation 46 (A)

Of The Education Act Of Trinidad and Tobago

ELIGIBILITY

Sabbatical Leave may be granted to members of the Teaching Service for the purpose of undertaking academic/educational study or research within the field of expertise of the person taking such leave and which must be relevant to the needs of the Teaching Service. It must also complement or support the respective training programmes/plans of the Ministry of Education and/or the Tobago House of Assembly, subject to the following conditions:

  • All members of the Teaching Service must have completed ten (10) years full-time service and as such periods of leave without pay and periods of absence from duty without pay in the last ten (10) years shall be excluded in determining the full-time service for Sabbatical Leave.
  • Sabbatical Leave is not intended for persons commencing the first year of a two year or three year programme. It is specifically designed for persons wishing to complete their study programmes or research work, which must be completed within the period of leave granted.
  • Sabbatical Leave may be granted for a period of up to one (1) academic year only, that is, one (1) to three (3) school terms.
  • While on Sabbatical Leave a member of the Teaching Service shall be paid eighty percent (80%) of his/her substantive salary and the period of sabbatical leave shall count for pension purposes.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Eligible officers must submit their application in triplicate on the prescribed form with all supporting documents as detailed below:

  •  A detail Proposal.
  • Curriculum Vitae.
  • Letter of acceptance from appropriate institution.
  • Proof of funding (financial statement/s indicating how you would maintain yourself and finance the programme).

The proposal document as mentioned above should include:

  • Necessary details to enable its merits to be evaluated.
  • A description of the details and specific purpose of the leave.
  • A statement on how the Sabbatical Leave would benefit the individual and the school/education system.
  • When and where the individual will carry out the research activities.
  • The proposed period and a schedule of the Sabbatical study including a timeline which shows when the work will be done.

Principals must submit their applications through their School Supervisors who shall complete Section 4 of the application form and return a signed copy to the Principal.

Teachers must submit their applications through their Principals who shall complete Section 4 of the application form and return a signed copy to the teacher.

PROCESSING PROCEDURE

  •  The Secondary or Primary Section shall acknowledge receipt of all applications.
  • All completed applications for Sabbatical Leave shall be considered by a committee comprising representatives of the Ministry of Education, TTUTA and Tobago House of Assembly.
  • Successful candidates will be notified in writing by the end of June 2024.

CONDITIONS OF AWARD

  • A maximum of sixty-five (65) teachers; fifty (50) from Trinidad and fifteen (15) from Tobago shall be granted Sabbatical Leave at any one time.
  • Successful candidates will be required to enter a contract with the Ministry of Education which requires successful candidates to engage in a period of obligatory service, in accordance with the policy in force, or repay any compensation received during the Sabbatical leave.
  • A written report o utlining all accomplishments during the Sabbatical Leave must be submitted within three (3) months after the teacher’s return to the Teaching Service.
  • A member of the Teaching Service may not use the period of Sabbatical Leave to accept other paid employment.

APPLICATION FORM

Grant of Sabbatical Leave – Application Form

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

All completed application forms must be submitted directly to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education (Secondary and Primary Section) 5 St. Vincent Street, Port-Of-Spain, and in the case of Tobago, the Office of the School Supervisor III, Tobago Education Office, Dutch Fort Road, Scarborough, Tobago, no later than May 31st, 2024.