Jamaica Observer
column published 16 July 2018
by Jean Lowrie-Chin
As we arrived at
UTECH for the institution’s 60th Anniversary Lecture by Governor
General Sir Patrick Allen, Hubie and I reminisced on our first formal
date. It was several decades before at
his CAST (now UTECH) graduation, and here we were almost at the same spot,
marveling at the expansion of this great university.
It was a rich
Lecture, tracing the history of tertiary education in Jamaica, and the
emergence of the digital age. Sir Patrick noted that UTECH “has not only
cemented its place on the landscape of the nation, but is producing work-ready
graduates, and is the first and only university in the English-speaking
Caribbean to
·
have
a world-renowned School of Architecture.
·
Is
the university with the largest and oldest School of Pharmacy in the
region.
·
Is
the only university known anecdotally to be ‘The Home of World Class Athletes’.
This makes Jamaica, arguably, the country per capita that produces the best
runners in the world.
“Your 60th
anniversary theme, ‘Pioneering Past; Bright Future’ aptly summarises and
describes your history,” he declared. As he reflected on the benefits as well
as the dangers of our digital age, and Vision 2030, Sir Patrick noted, “Having
right values is an important component of development.”
Those of us who are
concerned about poor governance in our public-sector agencies would do well to
consider the Governor General’s resolve that we can overcome these challenges.
“We have seen signs of the shaking of the moral foundations which belonged to
an earlier time,” he stated. “The combination of easy access to information,
the challenge to institutional authority, and the growing acceptance of a post-modern
philosophy, when combined, call to mind the book title of the late Nigerian
author Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart.”
“We may indeed begin
to think that ‘the centre cannot hold’. But it must,” he urged. “Civilization
has been through perilous times before, and the human spirit has overcome them.
The philosophers speak of a perfection of civilization as we will come to know
it …. For us, our obligation must center on the promotion and preservation of
quality and excellence. The centre will, and must be made to hold.”
This significant
Lecture, posted on the King’s House website (see link below) is well worth a good study.
https://kingshouse.gov.jm/speech/the-university-of-technologys-60th-anniversary-distinguished-lecture-promoting-excellence-to-enhance-development-pioneering-past-bright-future-thursday-july-12-2018/
No comments:
Post a Comment