Concern that Jamaica is losing its scientists

Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Science, Dr Andrew Wheatley, says the island must create an environment to retain its scientists.

Speaking recently during a tour of the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) in Portland, Wheatley said that an ecosystem must be created that will allow and encourage the country’s scientists that it has “spent so much money to train at CASE and other tertiary institutions” to remain home.

“We have not invested any significant amount of money as a country in R&D (research and development) and we complain that we are losing our students or our scientists that we are training. Why? Because they do not see the opportunities here,” Wheatley said. He outlined that a lack of lucrative opportunities is driving away some of the country’s best talent in the field of science.