(CMR) As Jamaica experiences a massive migration of teachers, leaving schools scurrying to fill vacancies, recent statistics indicate that Jamaica has the second-highest brain drain index among 177 countries worldwide.
Business and economics website theGlobalEconomy.com indicated that Jamaica, with a human flight and brain drain index score of 9.1, is only ‘bested’ by fellow small island developing state Samoa, which topped the ranking with a perfect 10.
According to TheGlobalEconomy, the index indicator covers available data between 2007 and 2022 from several sources. The website noted that the “Human flight and brain drain indicator considers the economic impact of human displacement (for economic or political reasons) and the consequences this may have on a country’s development. The higher the index, the greater the human displacement.”
Minister of Education Fayval Williams revealed Monday that some 167 teachers have resigned since July. Several school leaders said they were facing difficulties filling vacancies as teachers in specialized areas were migrating, seeking better opportunities. Teachers are reportedly leaving due to low salary, lack of resources and behavioral problems in the class
Haiti and Guyana joined Jamaica in the top 10 as Caribbean nations, with most of the worst-hit brain drain countries being either affected by war or political and economic instability. Australia was determined to have the lowest rate of brain drain in TheGlobalEconomy‘s ranking, finishing with a 0.4 index score.
Experts from the United Nations Resident Coordinator Office (RCO) in Jamaica, the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona campus, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) found that citizens who were most likely to leave are of child-bearing age and are often most educated and skillful.
Many predict that Jamaica could face a brain drain crisis with skilled and educated people migrating.
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