(Jamaica Observer) Jamaica’s Foreign Minister Dr Kenneth Baugh Thursday urged developed countries to provide more funding for the training of skilled professionals in Jamaica as most of these persons migrate to those countries shortly after they complete their studies here.
The loss of educated professionals or brain drain continues in earnest with some estimates showing more than half of Jamaica’s tertiary graduates migrating annually, Dr Baugh said.
The foreign minister was speaking at the Planning Institute of Jamaica’s (PIOJ’s) launch of three projects geared towards the development of a national policy and plan of action on international migration and development for Jamaica.
“In order to minimise the losses of skilled human resources, there is a compelling need for support for the proposal for co-development,” he said. “Simply put, developed countries should make a financial contribution to developing countries to offset some of the costs incurred in the training of tertiary graduates in countries of origin and should pursue policies of mutual benefit apart from remittances that can assist in recovering from the loss of these graduates.”
