Unemployment a security threat
Published:Wednesday | March 21, 2012 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
One of the many rising problems we face in our society is unemployment. It grows more and more every year and is one of the reasons persons turn to criminal activities.
From personal research carried out in parts of Kingston and St Andrew, I found out things that I would like to share with the wider population.
In households, three in every 10 persons are employed. Among those coming out of high school, out of every 50, fifteen go on to further their studies in college/sixth form, six are fortunate to find employment, six migrate to a foreign country and the remaining 23 stay at home doing absolutely nothing.
The majority of the kids/teenagers at home are boys. Males are the major players in crime and violence in our country, hence, we would want them to be positively engaged.
With the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) to be unveiled soon, it would be really good if the Government could take into consideration those coming straight out of high school with four to eight subjects. These persons didn't choose to stay home idle, but because of lack of financial resources, or inadequate job opportunities, they are unable to move forward.
Surely, they are able to matriculate into other areas of life, but they can't, without having to pay millions. If these brilliant minds are allowed to be influenced by criminal gangs, it will be rather difficult to keep up with them because they are most times very, very smart and use their faculties for the wrong reason.
Let's try to chop this tree in an area that will stop it from bearing awful fruits.
JOHNOY DAVIS
Mavis Bank, St Andrew