Several Jamaican students studying in Cuba are leaving the island amid a stifling economic crisis, exacerbated by a string of recent sanctions from the U.S., including efforts to starve the country of crucial fuel supplies, officials said this week.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamina Johnson Smith told a post-cabinet briefing that more than a dozen students studying privately have already abandoned their programs for now, in part because classes have been disrupted, suspended, or moved online because of the state of play.
There are 320 Jamaican students in Cuba, 44 of whom are on state scholarships. The minister says authorities will continue to monitor the situation and remain in contact with those at various universities on the island.
“It is very unfortunate that the students are adversely affected by a program that has been working well for students across the Caribbean for some time. But we understand that the prevailing intent and the drive among the majority of the student body at this time is for a continuation of their studies,” she said.
To ensure real-time communication with those on the island, authorities have set up a social media group of more than 300 students, as access to medicine and Cuba could be tricky at this time.
She said authorities have even advised students to be prepared for an emergency evacuation should the need arise, but the government does not, at this moment, sense a need for the majority to exit the island.
“There is no sense that there is a move to leave. They have confirmed to me that none of their students have been brought home so that the rumors that we had heard, that some territory countries had negotiated special arrangements to get early diplomas and for departure, that actually is not quite so, and they also, like us, continue to monitor and to try to stay close to hear what’s happening, whether there are any further development,” the Observer newspaper quoted her as saying.
The minister said that her ministry has been in contact with officials from other regional countries whose students are studying in Cuba, and that the local cabinet discussed the issue at length on Monday. Consideration is also being given to how the administration can assist students in coping with the situation in Cuba, she said.
