Holness Says Youths Will Rescue Jamaica from Economic Crisis

Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, has outlined eight key traits possessed by today’s youths that, he says, will rescue Jamaica and the rest of the world from the current economic crisis.
Mr. Holness said that among the best qualities of the current generation are their principles of freedom, customisation, scrutiny, collaboration, speed, integrity, innovation and entertainment.
“We quarrel about the new generation [saying they are] listless, aimless, it’s the worst generation ever. But, the truth is that, this is a new generation that is going to rescue the world from the previous generation, because this generation is built upon some principles that we don’t usually look at,” he stated.
Mr. Holness was speaking at a luncheon put on by the PanCaribbean Bank, at the Terra Nova Hotel, in Kingston on Thursday (September 24), to honour the bank’s 24 scholarship winners.
Elaborating on the principle of customisation, Mr. Holness noted that this generation does not believe in “one size fitting all”. He said this allows them to find more solutions to problems, and more likely to discover unconventional ways of dealing with the economic crisis.
He also stated that the trait of customisation is bolstered by the tendency of today’s youth to collaborate and their need to have things done quickly, or in the most efficient way. He pointed out that an example of the collaboration among youths, is their propensity for social networking, which also allows them to get things done quickly.
“The other fundamental principle of this generation is the principle of scrutiny. If you were to test this generation and the previous generations on the importance of questioning things that are placed in front of you, you will realise that this generation accepts scrutiny more than previous generations,” the Minister elaborated.
He said the principle of scrutiny is especially important for business leaders and those holding public office, and is an important principle for pulling the world out of crisis.
“I am not too worried about this generation managing crises. This generation was born in crisis, struggled through crisis and we have survived the crisis, because these are our principles. This is what is going to pull us out of recession,” Mr. Holness noted.
The luncheon was held to honour the 24 students who benefitted from $100,000 scholarships awarded by the Bank to attend either the University of the West Indies (UWI), or the University of Technology (UTech).