The side effects of the educational process, both in its formal and informal structures, are often more important to the child's future th'an the intended effect. This paper examines one of the side effects, the relative preferences a school leaver has for different places familiar to him. Using the methodologies of the geographer, the "mental maps" identified are related to the problem of rural depopulation. The implications for the educational system are assessed.

The teaching stock within the Caribbean region has been eroded by migration to developed countries. Higher potential earnings are one of the motivating factors to move abroad, but little is known about the extent of the income disparity between countries in the Caribbean and popular destination countries. Teacher salary comparisons are undertaken between selected countries in the Caribbean; Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, and Jamaica and popular destination countries, namely; United Kingdom, United States, and Canada using a purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rate.

Teachers and schools are part of the social and cultural infrastructure of all societies, but they are particularly relevant in developing countries. A good education system is central to the creation of human capital and a fundamental element contributing to successful economic development (Skeldon, 2005). In order to establish and maintain a credible system of education it is important to have a sufficient number of trained and experienced teachers.

The words of the Guyanese poet Martin Carter in “Death of a Comrade” seemed quite apt for the time of grief, bereavement, and remembrance of the woman to whom the paper is dedicated. This paper is writen in memory of a woman who became a lawyer and patriot, and who pursued justice to the end of her days. She was one of those Jamaicans who went to England as a child and returned as a professional to build her homeland. She returned and contributed in many ways at the University of Technology as a lecturer, as a human rights campaigner with the United Nations and in the field of legal aid.