Carnival queen contestant Nikisha Philbert has said she plans to use her platform, “Migration and Brain Drain” to educate Dominicans on the potential impact this could have on the country.
Philbert was speaking at a ceremony where she secured sponsorship for the pageant from the National Cooperative Credit Union and 4Dominica Limited.
She is also encouraging young people to take a closer look at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and its benefits for the region.
According to Philbert, Dominica is suffering from a “detrimental population decrease” due to brain drain and this is something she would like to shed some light on. “I am a young person and very patriotic …I love everything Dominica has to offer,” she said. “I think that many young people, many Dominicans, when they get an opportunity to migrate and they get what they can get from other countries they tend to not to want to bring what they have learnt back to our country and we are actually suffering a very detrimental population decrease and brain drain due to that activity.”
She is hoping that the Miss Dominica Pageant will give her the necessary publicity needed on the matter. “Afterward I plan to use my bit of experience in advertising and media production to do something to educate people on this issue as well,” she said.
Concerning the CCJ, Philbert said young people in Dominica and the region should examine it closer. “It helps us to be independent as a Caribbean region and sort of loses dependency on England,” she noted.
A total of seven young ladies will take to the stage on February 8 as they attempt to grab the top spot in the pageant.
Philbert was the last among the others to received sponsorship. “As you know I was the last person to get sponsored but that did not deter me,” she said.
The two topics are going to be very difficult to tie together… But will look forward to see how you pull through… Wishing you the best… And didnt know you were the last to receive sponsorship… Cudos to your sponsors… You are a very smart young lady and I pray you do well
great topic, but people attitude has to be changed,coming back is good, but you are not appreciated, then you cannot even find a job, start a businness, then it also slows down, we need a new progressive goverment, people need to open their minds and have better worldview, the people are too negative, stop depending on hand outs and the clinics for free, too much politics in the place
The Dominica brain drain, to me seem more laughable than anything else:
The definition is simply this; the departure of educated or professional people from one country, economic sector, or field for another, for better pay or living conditions.
Where as I agree that salary stinks in Dominica; people are underpaid, thus that would make me agree that been under paid is a push for anyone out of Dominica; be that person a farmer, or a fisherman!
You cannot consider those of us in people’s country playing obeah man and woman ” brain drain.”
Nevertheless this brain drain thing is another matter.
When we speak in terms of brain drain we are actually referring to people of higher learning, professional in fields that cannot be easily field, science of every field, people involved in high levels of math and science.
Someone graduating high school, became a so called school teacher in Dominica worked for a few pennies for a while, got fed up and decide to leave Dominica, I do not consider that part of this so called brain drain, because when they travel to places out of the Caribbean, they have one alternative, and that is to enter collage and retrain for some other job, or be contented with flipping hamburgers in some fast food establishment.
Note: If you are a medical doctor, nurse teacher trained in the Caribbean, you cannot get up one day, and decide to come to North America, and most place in Europe and say here I am one those I noted and be hired.
It does not work that way, so this notion that the educated Dominican is leaving because they can put their brain to work elsewhere is a total myth.
Yes, we have situations where more than thirty percent of native Antiguan’s pulled out of Antigua in the 1970’s and plenty of Dominican went to Antigua and filled the open vacancy’s, thus you have some in the civil service, police officers, and Firemen. That is the situation when we are dealing with a small population.
As the Dominican left, you will notice there come plenty of Haitians and other Caribbean natives among us, so in any event one can say brain drain left, more brain arrive from elsewhere, even China,
But such people cannot be considered brain drain, we also have plenty of people in Tortolla working, they too are not counted as brain drain.
When people are talking about brain drain they are talking about people who are involved in very high science, intelligence, that are not easily come by.
If we had plenty of brain power in Dominica in action over the years, our country would not be so backward; and under developed.
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
@councelor if america was so boring how come you stay there for twenty three years and you still going to add another six years to it.what does that say about you coming back home to help your country?
I wish her all the best in the brain drain issue. I am a university graduate who worked in Dominica 5 years after completing my studies at university. One of the issues is that there are limited jobs and the salary can be too small sometimes. Some of us were chased away by victimization, it is sad that some of us at management level are treated with disrespect in our country of birth. It is unfortunate too that when we leave Dominica and we work overseas we receive better treatment from the foreigners.
DNO it’s Nickisha Anne Philbert- you got her name spelt wrong in your story.
Another advice, CCJ is a big topic and brain drain if u are really going to do a great job will require a lot of work. I would choose one, the two are too different to try to mix. In my view brain drain is the least spoken off and has a bigger impact locally.
I hope u are very thorough in addressing this brain drain issue. As per your statement above, so far you are not. This is a multifaceted problem, there are Dominicans who return and are disrespected and taken for granted and are basically driven away and there are those who opted not tomreturn. You need to go deep on this, you have to do a lot of research and present facts and statistics. If you are able to do justice with this topic then this is an easy win for you.
It is a very timely, very important but barely spoken of topic.
I wish you well in bringing real issues to light.
Finally sponsorship! Such a timely issue to address. I truly hope you do win this competition. I am rooting for you all the way!
I applaud your platform young lady…as a returning Dominican, I was surprised to see many of my friends who hadn’t migrated to greener pastures were greener than I am right now with their cars and houses….I’m just starting to accumulate some wealth to begin on my self-development. Sometimes, I look back and wonder why didn’t I do an online degree than taking so much money from the Hardship Bank to further my education….a loan that does seems to decreased despite my parents paying interest while I was studying…
However, on the flip side…I came back home three years ago and still searching and grayeing for a job despite the countries need for my expertise. It seems like our policy-makers prefer ‘foreign’ opinion more than ours, despite the proven fact Caribbean nationals generally do much better at universities.
It also seems like our party colours seems to be a MAJOR requirement for getting a job in Dominica- one has to lick the politician boots or raise political flags just to be reproached at their convenience.
Plus, job creation here has been dismal for the past few years…so coming back doesn’t look too attractive..sometimes, I even regret having gone to study and but more often than not, I have lamented my return to try to develop my country with my new-found knowledge.
First kudos and congratulations on achieving your higher education. I must also applaud you for returning home. However, you know quite well as you already mentioned–most job opportunities will present themselves if your wear “the right colours” or compromise your values or dignity.
Don’t fall my sister be strong.Everything has a season.
My victimisation started from high school with teachers who supported past and present political alleging that my family did not support.
I return to Dominica quite often and would not offer any of my services for free, because they will not hire me. If my brother survive and is still surviving with a wife and fopur kids, with two in college you will.
Just pray, and I will lift you up in prayer. Prayers work–I can attest to that.
You go Philbert!i’m a philbert, you have my full support…
you are obviously young, and naive.
I do agree .This is a subject that warrants a discussion.I am in total agreement,but if u have to flip the conversation, we also have to ask what does the Gov’t have in place to encourage people to come down.For example I know Dominicans who have lived overseas for years.They are patriotic,they have retired and they want to
return home but VAT on everything including all
what one has to go through to bring a vechile is just not worth it
Yes, we are not making it easy for our people to return. They are given a harder time than if you were to immigrate to Martinique or Gudeloupe. Dr. Mac making it sound like he is doing returnees a favour but look, any other country you can bring you stuff in for free, including a car. Imagine how much money would come in every month, just from pension payments if we encouraged people more, made it easier for them instead of all that envy and burocracy. Construction industry would rejoice for a start! mr. Skerrit wants a graduate in every home. A very good idea but where are these graduates going to find a job if we don’t prepare the ground for them?
please do not be sarcastic . It is the same rat race ,boring and police infested place that educated you and you were quite happy to stay for 23 years.
Suffice it to say you are now back home and want to assist in developing this land that those of us who remained have been doing for the past 30 to 40 years.Be grateful in all things because out of all the negatives you pointed out some good came out of it . YOU
sorry, correction you are thinking of coming back home
It works only in speech
Ok, you mean, someone leaves Dominica and go abroad to study, and once they are finished return to Dominica, where are they going to get employed on their return when they do not have funds to start my own business? just a question.
Further more what is the government doing to encourage those who left to return.
Yes we all wish we could come back to DA and work and live, but the situation on the ground does not make it possible.
Patriotic, what does that mean,you mean putting country first when country don’t care whether I live or die, patriotism don’t put food in mouth. Country will always be there, whether I am there or not
I am totally in agreement with this young lady. I believe without a shadow of a doubt that most Dominicans are unpatriotic. I truly do not know why we dislike our country so much. I have lived in the United States of America for the last 23 years, and besides getting an education, paying less for food and clothes, there is absolutely nothing better about America, than Dominica. Yet, instead of coming back home and pass on the knowledge, skills and expertise that we acquire to help develop our country, we instead, remain in this boring, rat race, police society, chasing the dollar. To be honest, most times we are never able to accumulate any money because this blood sucking society will take it back from taxes and provisions that they put in place to suck people blood.
I am proud to say that there is absolutely nothing more exciting knowing that am planning to return to my dear country in an effort to use all my education, knowledge, skills and expertise to give back and to create opportunities for those who did not get the knowledge, expertise and skills from a great country like the United states of America. Don’t get me wrong.The United States of America is the greatest country in the world, and it can provide someone with some of the best skills necessary to live any where in the world. However, I believe that they have enough people to continue to make them great, but we do not. Nevertheless, because our population is only 60,000, just one of us can make a difference in the development of our country.
There can be nothing more fulfilling and rewarding than to leave a legacy which can be beneficial to those we will be leaving behind. It is a crying shame that not enough of us are willing to do that.
I would be remiss and a loser, if i would keep all what i have learned to myself and not use it for the benefit of those whom i claim to be my people. In my opinion, my life would be a total waste, and is best that i was never born.
I am proud to say that am putting some things in place, and i will be moving back to my lovely country in the next six years. I am looking forward to be working with people like this lovely young lady who has a smart mind.
Once am in Dominica , one of my goals will be to try and encourage Dominicans overseas to come home and make a contribution for the development of their country. Always remember,that is pass that we are passing through. Also note, that there will always be others after us who can benefit from our sacrifices and hard work.Therefore,let us prepare and pave the way for them so they will be able to enjoy a more advanced, developed, and up to date society. We can make it happen, if we are willing to try.
So y u still living upthere? Six years is much too long! Come back to your country NOW…AND stop preaching!
First kudos and congratulations on achieving your higher education. I must also applaud you for returning home. However, you know quite well as you already mentioned–most job opportunities will present themselves if your wear “the right colours” or compromise your values or dignity.
Don’t fall my sister be strong.Everything has a season.
My victimisation started from high school with teachers who supported past and present political parties alleging that my family did not support.
I return to Dominica quite often and would not offer any of my services for free, because they will not hire me. If my brother survive and is still surviving with a wife and four kids, with two in college, you will.
Just pray, and I will lift you up in prayer. Prayers work–I can attest to that.
my girl, go for it, we loveeeeeeeeeeeeeee u boo
First of all congratulations on winning. I recommend your topic for discussion, something that has been going on for years and needs addressing.
Surprised the Goverment has not addressed this as it affects the country now and in the long term.