THE EDITOR, Sir:I have just read a letter titled, "Teaching in the UK" dated April 29.
It never ceases to amaze me, seeing the words of wisdom from Jamaicans living in the U.K. So many of them suggest how wrong it is for teachers and other people to leave Jamaica to work in the U.K.
Well sir, if it is so hard, why haven't they gone back to Jamaica? Are they suggesting that other people are not as strong as they are, to succeed in the face of adversity? Is it that they burnt bridges, so they would like to return and can't?
QUESTIONS
I would like them to answer a few questions. Did they or their parents come here for the experience? If they are like others who take the opportunity to help relatives back home, financially, could they have done as much working in Jamaica? Why don't they take their expertise back to Jamaica to help the economy since they feel so passionately about it? Do they realise that some of us do more for the country, even in the form of remittances and investments, than we could ever have done living there?
I know that most people made the decision to come because of economics. It is understandable when people in Jamaica talk about the brain drain. However, who gives the right to people who may now be enjoying a better standard of living or easier access to free education for their children, to say others are wrong to seek the same opportunities?
I am, etc.,
COURTNEY LAWRENCE
courtlaw2002@hotmail.com
Kent, United Kingdom
