There was a telling comment in yesterday's story in THE STAR about a young American who has been teaching at the primary level in Westmoreland.

Katee Neuman, an elementary education student at the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse in the United States of America, wishes to come to Jamaica to teach when she finishes studying, saying "I would love to teach here because education is so much more valued here. The students see it as a stepping stone to their future and I would love to be a part of that."

That is not new to us in Jamaica but it does highlight the difference between education and opportunity. Americans are not exactly lining up in droves to migrate to Jamaica, which is quite unlike the long lines outside the U.S. Embassy in Liguanea, St. Andrew, as people seek the better life under the Star Spangled Banner.

So we have a situation where those who love education, as the young American student teacher thinks, try to get to a country where education is less ap-preciated. This points to a lack of opportunity, which is very sad.

The brain drain from Jamaica and the wider Caribbean is a matter of record. It is a pity that the bright who appreciate learning leave to often accept lower-paying jobs in a country where education is apparently not as high on the list of priorities.

And it indicates a lack of opportunity in Jamaica, because why else would those who appreciate education leave where they have been schooled?