From Jamaica Observer

The JLP’s welcoming party assembled in the VIP Lounge of the Norman Manley International Airport to meet party leader Andrew Holness yesterday. From left are Councillor Duane Smith Deputy Spokesperson on ICT, Knowledge Economy & the Environment; Fayval Williams, Economic Committee; Sharon Hay Webster, media liaison officer at the Opposition Leader’s office; Pearnel Charles, Labour and Social Security Spokeperson; Suzanne Leslie Bailey, Deputy Spokesperson on Tourism & Cruise Shipping; Pearnel Charles Jnr, Deputy Spokesperson on National Security; and Kent Gammon, Deputy Spokesperson on Industry Investment & Commerce.

JAMAICA’S Opposition Leader Andrew Holness returned to the island yesterday from the Cayman Islands, where he spent the last five days participating in a riveting Caribbean conference hosted by the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI).

Holness, who spoke Friday to an appreciative audience on ‘Ethical and Anti-Corruption Framework of Jamaica: My Vision for Change’, returned to his native land after leaving a Cayman Islands audience made up of university students, Caribbean professionals, political leaders and concerned anti-corruption individuals, impressed with his 40-minute presentation.

It was the second major activity by Holness, as the day before he, along with the Cayman Islands’ Minister of Education Tara Rivers, touched on the role and effectiveness of education in instilling values and ethics.

“How do we teach values in education today for the next generation?” he asked at the Thursday afternoon session.

“Our children now believe in freedom – that they should be able to do what they want to do.

“They value customisation — they want their things to be different. Most of our education systems don’t teach according to how students learn, but to how teachers are trained. They scrutinise everything, which means they are very critical.

“We have to pay attention to that because if we are teaching values, and they can get hold of other value systems, they are unlikely to accept what you have to say,” Holness told the audience.

Continuing on the same subject, the former Prime Minister, who also served as education minister, said that firm leadership could lead to handsome rewards in the fight against corruption.

“How do we get this generation to be citizens active against corruption? Corruption is easily exposed, but it doesn’t mean that something will be done about it. It all comes down to leadership,” Holness said.

The conference, held on the UCCI’s campus, next to the Truman Bodden Sports Complex, saw other compelling presentations from over 120 participants from 15 countries of the Caribbean, North America, Africa, and Europe.

According to the Closing Declaration, the conference was a “significant success” and “marked an important milestone in the Caribbean’s engagement with anti-corruption issues on a broad basis.”

Chief organiser of the event was Jamaica-born academic Dr Livingston Smith.

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http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Andrew-returns-to-the-Rock_16326677