DESPITE multiple offers to teach overseas, educator and 2024 recipient of the Governor General Achievement Award for Academic Excellence and Leadership Romain Kenton says he chooses to remain on Jamaican soil to help develop his country and give back to inner-city youth, following the same path as his educators who, through their selflessness, made it possible for him to excel.

With just four years of teaching experience under his belt, Kenton said agencies in the United States and England have tried to persuade him to leave, captivated by his passion for the profession and connection with his students. However, he said it is these same qualities that keep him on the island.

“I believe, and it might sound funny, and it might sound stupid, but I believe that my mission is to develop my country,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“My students really and truly retain me, and that’s just point blank. Sometimes when I come to school and interact with them, I just have to laugh because I’m saying you don’t understand that you guys are the ones that keep me here. It’s a personal choice I am making just because of the impact that I would’ve and can have on my students,” he said.

As the son of a carpenter and a dry cleaner, born and raised in Dunkirk, east Kingston, he said he often lacked the necessary tools to pursue an education, and had it not been for the incredible teachers he met along his journey, he would not be who he was today.

Now, he hopes to return the favour.

“My teachers, they never ever gave up on me. When I lacked certain resources, they provided it for me. I know that there are some students in the [Jamaican] school system who are depending on me to assist them just as how I had my teachers, and because of that, I can’t leave my students,” said Kenton.

“Yes, at my age [25 years old], I really want to own a house, I really want to drive a big car, I really want all of these things…but I am doing it for the greater glory of God, and I know that my reward will come one day,” he shared.

A current teacher at the St George’s College, and part-time educator at the HEART Trust/NSTA, Kenton said he fully understands the power of education, and spends much of his time reaching the most vulnerable youth, hoping to change their lives for the better.

“I have a purpose, and my purpose is in education. My purpose is to motivate and encourage people to be the best version of themselves and that is something that I stick with. One of the things I always tell my students, and I always tell anybody I interact with, is that nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Every single morning, you wake up and think limitlessly. The power of positivity is something that you should cherish no matter what is thrown your way, no matter where you come from,” he stressed.

According to a report published in the British newspaper The Guardian in April of this year, almost 500 qualified Jamaican teachers swapped local classrooms for classrooms in the United Kingdom (UK) last year. Additionally, the Ministry of Education reported that a total of 854 teachers resigned between January and September 2023, and the Jamaica Teachers’ Association predicts additional teachers will leave before the start of the September 2024 school year.

Kenton theorised that there are many teachers in the Jamaican education system who share his passion and love for their country and profession, but leave because they are not paid adequately.

“It is full time now that the Government tries to do something to give us something that will retain us. Even if they can’t do much with the salary, put other incentives in place,” he stressed, adding that Jamaica cannot afford to lose all of their best educators.

However, until then, he said he and his colleagues will continue to do what they can with the little they have to help institutions and students who are struggling, hoping for brighter days.

Kenton shared that with the help of his friends and colleagues, he supports Olga Mendez Basic School in Dunkirk and other struggling schools with supplies, also hosting annual back-to-school treats.

“Many of my friends and colleagues, we come from humble backgrounds where some of them were raised by their mother alone or grandparents and they were struggling. They did not know how they were going to complete university, but they did so by working hard, volunteering, and getting scholarships,” he shared.

“Looking at where we are coming from, even though we are not getting a million dollars a month, we make the sacrifice and help out people, because we understand what it was like,” he told the Sunday Observer.

“Education is such a powerful tool that we can use to change the world, and I want persons in the inner city…to realise that if you value education you cannot go wrong. You can literally change your life just by acquiring an education,” he stressed.

“I want inner-city youths to know it’s never about where you are from, but it is so much about where you’re going. We must have that passion, we must have that drive, we must be hungry, we must be thirsty to change the narrative,” said Kenton.