Gov’t offers travel loans to Jamaican students in Ukraine
Published:Thursday | February 17, 2022 | 12:10 AMKimone Francis/Gleaner Writer
The Holness administration has offered loans to Jamaican students in Ukraine wanting to return home amid uncertainty in the Eastern European country of an invasion by the Russian military.
In an email to students last week, several of whom had expressed difficulty in acquiring funds to leave the country, Jamaica’s chargé d’affaires at the Berlin embassy, Denise Sealey, said the Government would assist.
“Kindly be advised that a loan to cover the cost of a ticket to Jamaica will be provided by the Government. We would be grateful you indicate whether you would agree to such an arrangement,” the email to the 42 Jamaican students read.
“Should you agree, the tickets will be purchased and forwarded to you via email.”
In a follow-up email, Sealey said that only one student had taken up the loan proposal at the time, and urged others to make contact, stressing that the Government had very limited time in which to work.
She said research had indicated that the ticket costs were averaging up to €500, which amounts to J$86,000 when converted using the Bank of Jamaica’s exchange rate.
“This is just an idea of what the possible amount could be,” said Sealey.
A Gleaner source with knowledge of the communication between students and the ambassador indicated on Monday that several had not responded because the terms of the loan agreement have not been communicated.
According to the source, Sealey told students that she did not have the finer details on repayment time or interest rate.
The students, the majority of whom are pursuing studies in medicine, were instead told not to book any flight and that “Kingston will undertake that action”.
On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith said five of the students have departed or were in the process of leaving.
She said seven requested assistance from the Government to return, three of whom are now reconsidering.
The others are still considering their options, she said.
The minister said the embassy had also written to three universities that most of the students attend, two of which have confirmed that they will allow online classes until April 1.
The third, where 19 students are studying, said it would consider adjustments.
“We note there have been some signals of de-escalation and continue to hope for diplomatic solutions. The situation is very dynamic, so we will continue to monitor and share information, provide help, and encourage our students to stay in touch and continually assess their individual circumstances,” she said via her Twitter account.
A week ago, US President Joe Biden urged US citizens in Ukraine to leave.
On Wednesday, he called for a diplomatic solution to the “crisis”, noting in a White House speech that the best way forward for all involved was through diplomacy and de-escalation.
Russia has consistently denied that it intends to invade Ukraine and has since announced a withdrawal of some of its 150,000 troops amassed at the country’s borders.
However, Biden has insisted that an invasion still remains possible and that there was no evidence to suggest that Russia had pulled back any of its troops.
Russia and Ukraine have had conflict since 2014 when Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula.