KINGSTON, Jamaica—Senator Kamina Johnson Smith says while some students studying in Cuba have expressed concern surrounding the current situation in the country, they are more concerned about their education.

Johnson Smith, who was speaking with Observer Online during the ceremonial opening of Parliament on Thursday, said she has been in communication with colleagues from the Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries who have confirmed that there is anxiety and there are needs among students, but that there is a general sense of purposefulness across the east.

The minister on Wednesday during a post-Cabinet press briefing said her ministry has stepped up daily monitoring of the situation in Cuba as blackouts disrupt internet access and online learning for Jamaican students. She also urged Jamaican students in Cuba to consider returning home before potential flight suspensions make travel more difficult.

However, Johnson Smith said, “There is no sense that there is a move to leave. They have confirmed to me that none of their students have been brought home so that the rumours that we had heard, that some territory countries had negotiated special arrangements to get early diplomas and for departure, that actually is not quite so, and they also, like us, continue to monitor and to try to stay close to hear what’s happening, whether there are any further developments.”

The foreign affairs minister said the government continues to monitor the situation in the country.

She noted that more than 300 are currently in the country and that the students are able to communicate directly with the Jamaican ambassador to Cuba via WhatsApp.

READ: Gov’t steps up monitoring as Cuban outages disrupt Jamaican students

(Video: Garfield Robinson)