Densil A. Williams | Educate our children and watch Jamaica grow

The empirical evidence on the relationship between an educated workforce and economic growth is conclusive. While the magnitude of the impact of an educated workforce on the level of growth in an economy is not always certain, what is clear is that, with a higher level of educated persons in the workforce, the level of economic growth will be stronger.

Evidence from empirical work done within the Caribbean region shows that, with a 50 per cent increase in the level of post-secondary educated employees in the labour force, a country can see a 1.2 per cent increase in gross domestic product (GDP) growth per year. In Jamaica’s case, for example, with about 1.269 million persons in the employed labour force and only about 268,000 having any certification beyond secondary school, if Jamaica should get at least another 134,000 persons educated at the post-secondary level within the next three years or so, all other things being equal, the economy could see 1.2 per cent growth in its GDP.

With such strong empirical evidence, funding the education for our children should be a no-brainer for any government which is seeking to grow and transform their economies, reducing poverty and helping citizens to lead a decent standard of living. As such, it is very unsettling to read numerous reports where our best and brightest children, because their parents cannot afford to finance their education at the tertiary level, are denied access to live their dreams. Most of these children, coming from very challenging backgrounds, have risen above their circumstances and have performed at internationally competitive levels in their secondary-school exams, but cannot move on to tertiary level to realise their dreams because of their financial circumstances. This should not be the case. Our most vulnerable children who have proven themselves beyond the extraordinary, must be celebrated and motivated to achieve, despite financial limitations. Somehow, preventing a top-performing student from gaining access to tertiary-level education does not sit well with the human spirit. The State needs to make a more strategic and activist intervention into these circumstances, generally.

STRATEGIC FINANCING FOR STUDENTS

The big issue to ensure access revolution in the context of post-secondary education lies squarely on the funding model for this sector. The debate on financing of tertiary education is ongoing, and many contributions have been made over the last decade regarding the kind of models that can be used to ease the burden on the student, and also reduce the burden of financing from the State. It is time we move from debate to action. While the debate is intellectually stimulating, lives are being destroyed because children are not able to access higher education, dreams are shattered, and the human capital stock of the country continues to deteriorate. What is needed is an intervention strategy to ensure that our brightest and best are able to gain access to higher education while we fix the long-term problems of financing.

In this regard, the State should ensure as a first priority that every household in the lowest three income decile, which spends an average $150,000 per year on consumption, once there is a child who has done exceptionally well and gets acceptance into a tertiary institution, there should be automatic funding of their education.

Data show that the average spend on higher education is circa $350,000, which is twice what the average household in the lowest three deciles spends on food, shelter, transportation, among other basic amenities. This, therefore, suggests that higher education will definitely be out of the reach of children in these lower-income households. However, we cannot build an equitable and high-growth society without having children from these households accessing higher education and, also, from high-quality institutions as well. For, we all know the transformative power of education and how it has led to reversal of intergenerational poverty for many Jamaicans.

We cannot deny poor children the ability to be the transformation in their families. We must reject any notion that says the State cannot and should not look out for and support these children on the basis of it being costly for the Government. I submit that when it comes to educating the nation’s children, the issue of cost should not be a deciding factor. It should be an issue of priority; not whether we should spend on education of the most vulnerable children, but how we should spend.

A MAJOR POLICY POSITION FOR THE GOJ

To show its seriousness about economic transformation, inclusive and equitable growth, the Government of Jamaica must send a powerful signal to our children, especially those in the most vulnerable income brackets, that education will be the most important tool they will use to transform their lives. To do this, the Government should commit to ensuring that every single household in the lowest three deciles of the income bracket must have one person who moves on to tertiary education. This will not only be symbolic, but it will lead a massive positive generational shift in those households and have the potential to lead to reversal of the vicious cycle of intergenerational poverty. We all know the anecdotes of having one member of a household moving on to university or some form of post-secondary education and from that one intervention, all other members of the household have become more productive members of the family. No doubt, families are better off when more persons are independent and can afford to sustain their livelihoods. There will have greater stability in terms of family income, greater access to assets that can be used to generate wealth, better social outcomes in terms of health, security, communication, etc. The wider society will also benefit by having better government, as the population will choose their elected representative using higher standards.

In addition to supporting the most vulnerable households to access higher education, a complementary policy position, especially for the most vulnerable group, is to ensure that every household in that category also has at least one member with a stable income. This is critical to ensure that basic needs of the household can be met. While the Government cannot hand-pick persons for a job, its role is to ensure an efficient labour market to support persons from the most vulnerable income brackets to get a decent work after completion of post-secondary education. Labour-market reform will be key to ensuring that the access revolution in higher education bears fruit.

If we want to see Jamaica grow and prosper in a sustainable way, getting more persons in the workforce who are certified at the highest level is key. This will also help to build a stronger middle class which is critical for the transformation of the economy, especially within the context of a new economy that will be driven by smart automation, and information and communications technologies. No child should be left behind once they show great promise to perform at the highest standard of excellence. The State is duty-bound to support its children to ensure they can live their dreams.

Densil A. Williams is a professor of international business at the UWI. He may be contacted at densilw@yahoo.com.