THE EDITOR, Sir:
I AM a Jamaican living abroad for many years and one who gives full credit to the outstanding teachers of my era for the superior education which I received, before my bachelor and master's degrees which I obtained in the United States of America. Because of the mentoring and outstanding abilities of my teachers, my transition into a foreign society was significantly easy and propelled me to the level of a chief nursing executive.
This letter is about the treatment of our human resources. Not only have we allowed some of our most brilliant minds to exit the island, but we continue to disregard those who are left to educate our children, care for the sick and provide mentoring and role-modelling. Jamaica may not have the highest literacy rate in the Caribbean, but our standard of education has been known to be very high.
I have visited smaller islands, islands which do not have the resources Jamaica has, yet only a small segment of their workforce migrate. Why? Because they are treated with respect, in terms of compensation and humanitarian conditions. One such island is Barbados. I am at a loss as to what the problem is in Jamaica. However, it must be remedied urgently, so as to maintain our standards.
Thirty to 40 years ago, Jamaica was the ideal place for educating children from all over the world. My hope is that we will spend more to educate and retain doctors and nurses; spend more to educate, compensate and retain our teachers; and emphasise social programmes to wipe out abuses and illiteracy.
I am, etc.,
MELITA AITCHESON-JOHNSON
melajohn@bellsouth.net
Port Saint Lucie
Florida, USA
Via Go-Jamaica
