THE EDITOR, Sir:
I HAD to respond to a letter (May 23) about free education being what we need. The writer pointed out that jobs are sorely lacking in Jamaica today and that is true. How then does free education for all change this? It only adds to the surplus number of qualified individuals.
The reason our young people are turning to a life of crime is simple. It is the only way they feel that they can make money, whether for instant gratification to be rich or just wanting to scrape by. If we focus on both educating our population and providing new jobs then we would be working toward a better solution.
Basic microeconomics teaches us the fundamentals of supply and demand, but no one in Jamaica seems to care about what has been proven in so many other countries and is clearly logical. We need policies that encourage investment and job creation, and not jobs billed as 'technology jobs' that involve being a call centre operator as previously flouted by our politicians, but real technical jobs and other jobs for various skill levels.
We also need to make it easier for our citizens to engage in their own business and this can only come from tax reform.
Let's see some real effort from the new prime minister.
I am, etc.,
D. MULLINGS
david.mullings@gmail.com
Pembroke Pines, FL
