Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared that Jamaica will continue to be a “net exporter of talent”, stating that even international bodies have lobbied him quite regularly for his own Cabinet ministers for positions overseas.
And while recognising that the country will continue to provide talents to the world, Holness has implored Jamaican students to honour their bond attached to the Dr Barry Wint Memorial Scholarship and remain in the country.
“Jamaica continues to provide talent to the world, but we are now at a time, however, where Jamaica needs all its talent,” he said.
The prime minister shared his views at Friday’s award ceremony for the 607 recipients of the inaugural Dr Barry Wint Memorial Scholarship.
Valued at $2.5 billion, the scholarship programme which is to make available $500 million each year for the next five years, is financing studies in public health for Jamaicans.
The successful recipients will be bonded to work in the public health system for a period after their studies.
In bringing his point across to the scholarship recipients about the need to retain talent locally, Holness admitted that the country has continually exported its talents to the world.
“We are exporting our Minister of Finance (Dr Nigel Clarke),” Holness stated, referencing Clarke’s impending appointment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a Deputy Managing Director.
“And international bodies actually lobby me quite regularly, asking me, ‘If I were to tap one of your ministers for a position, what would be your thoughts?'” Holness shared.
“And we have had other ministers being asked, (but) maybe not convenient at the time,” he stated without identifying anyone by name.
For the prime minister, these are signs that Jamaican talents are being observed across the world.
However, he said sometimes these individuals will decide to pursue other ventures, including further tertiary qualifications, to improve their skills for better pay, as well as improving their prospects for the overseas market.
For the Jamaican healthcare system, in particular, Holness said the issue of migration has long been a challenge locally.
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“It is a global phenomenon and, like many other countries, some of our skilled professionals seek opportunities abroad.
“Jamaica has been and will continue to be a net exporter of talent; from the construction of the Panama Canal to the rebuilding of European cities after World War II, and now, in contemporary times, teachers, nurses, doctors and professors,” Holness elaborated.
He said the “historical driver” for citizens to go overseas was “the fact that we weren’t able to absorb all the talents that we produce locally”.
However, he said what has changed is that (unlike some administrations) since Independence, “you now have a Government that is laser-like focussed on developing the country’s economy.”
This development, said Holness, has led the Government to invest in the critical sectors, including health, as well as investing in the citizens by providing them with scholarships, like under the Barry Wint Memorial Scholarship, to develop their skills and keep them locally.
“If the labour force is not healthy, then our productivity will be low,” Holness indicated as he stressed the importance of having enough health professionals locally to care for citizens in need of medical care.
Meanwhile, Holness told the scholarship recipients that they are poised to play an important part in national development, and encouraged them to stay in the country.
“I know some of you may baulk at the prospect of having to sign a bond, and some of you may say, ‘Well, I am just going to participate in this, get the training, and as soon as I get my letter of acceptance overseas, I pay off the bond and I’m gone’,” Holness said.
“I know, but I encourage you not to do that. We need you…, and for the first time in a long time, remaining in Jamaica, working in Jamaica, will be rewarding. Your efforts will reap results,” the prime minister stated.
“It is a long struggle, but we are at the point now where we are starting to see benefits; keep faith in your country, continue to invest in your country,” Holnness urged.
