Solution to intraregional travel crucial, says CARICOM SG

Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Dr Carla Barnett has insisted that the issue of intraregional travel must be resolved if the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) is to be successfully executed.

She said the headache associated with travel within CARICOM was highlighted when several teachers participating in the CARICOM Skilled Workers Programme, which was launched on Monday, experienced difficulties as they sought to reach their destinations over the past few days.

Speaking at the launch of the programme during a hybrid ceremony at the CARICOM headquarters in Guyana’s capital Georgetown, Dr Barnett said the situation was a reminder that the issue must be rectified soon.

“While the focus is on teachers for the next two weeks, we expect to roll out the other attachments at the earliest opportunity, even with the realities of our air transportation challenges in our region. I know there have been challenges getting around our region and we are hoping that we can begin to see some of the efforts to improve this, in the near future. 

“Regional transportation is one of the issues that we need to follow through on not only for programmes such as this but generally for the implementation of the CSME successfully across the region,” she said.

Local teachers, Marko Scantlebury of St George Secondary School and Tranette Belgrave of the Alleyne School are among 19 secondary school teachers from across the region participating in the programme which is designed to share best practices and knowledge in relation to the CSME and create effective advocates for CARICOM integration.

The teachers have been placed in schools in Barbados, Belize, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago for attachments from March 6 to 17. 

They will be expected to play a critical role in implementing and sustaining training and advocacy at the national level in respect to CSME, in particular, the free movement of CARICOM skilled nationals.

“It can be considered for certain that the secondary schools teacher attachment is the first segment of the programme. The capacity building of the teachers will benefit youth in their classes,” the CARICOM Secretary-General said.

“Involvement of the young people in regional integration must be seen in intangible terms and, over the years, the [CARICOM] Secretariat has managed community-based courses to meaningfully engage with young people and we will continue to focus on this as we move forward.”

Dr Barnett said the Secretariat also intends to host one-week internships for the new cohort of CARICOM Youth Ambassadors at the CARICOM Secretariat to expose them to regional integration processes so they can become better advocates for the free movement of skilled workers.

She reminded that a key aspect of the region becoming competitive is the efficient and effective operation of the free movement of persons regime. 

Dr Bartlett noted that the approach to the free movement goal has been to increase the number of skills categories eligible for free movement in stages, with 12 categories now included. (AH)