Research on Dutch Caribbean re-migration conducted by master’s student in the Netherlands Roman Monte (see Tuesday edition) should serve as an eye-opener. The scholar with roots in Curaçao focused on the – often overlooked – mental aspect.
Professionals from the islands returning home is not just a question of logistics, but also identity, language, community and emotional well-being. His advice to develop a practical re-migration guide, organise workshops and establish an online forum to answer questions is well-taken. He also suggested that Caribbean employers offer “cultural onboarding” to help returnees integrate.
Mind you, efforts are already being made in those directions, but in addition to the usually-most-mentioned issues such as salary, housing costs and upward career mobility, there are immaterial considerations. They too must be given the necessary attention.
While the study’s findings are not shocking, they confirm that more can be done to benefit from sending some of the “best and brightest” high school graduates to the European part of the kingdom every year to further their education. They receive study financing from the Netherlands supplemented by the local government.
This newspaper has always maintained that it’s first and foremost about these youngsters being given the opportunity to development themselves to their full potential and not owing anything to their country. However, getting a better “return on investment” in that sense would certainly be welcome.
