Premier receives courtesy call from top UWI official

Premier Hon. Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE receives a courtesy call from Vice-Chancellor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies, Professor, the Hon. Rex Nettleford during a courtesy call on Thursday, September 4, 2008. Photo Credit: Mr. Aldrin Rabsatt/GIS

Discussions between the two focussed, among other things, on the future of the Territory, its investment in human resources and its positioning in the Caribbean region.

The Premier reiterated Government’s commitment to the development of human resources in the Territory. 

Government stands firm in its belief that education and training form the basis of any meaningful development and as such, are among the primary functional responsibilities of this administration.

The Premier is also largely supportive of UWI and he demonstrated that support earlier this year when he declared January 7 as UWI Day in observance of the university’s 60th anniversary.

The UWI Vice-Chancellor Emeritus said he is pleased with the Territory’s emphasis on education as the focal point of development. “I have been coming here since the late 1960s and I have seen the change in the society,” he said.

In his January proclamation, the Premier acknowledged the vision of past leaders who recognised the importance of tertiary education.

“They saw that a higher standard of education was needed if the colony was to progress and therefore made the sacrifice to contribute annually to the upkeep and maintenance of the University College, now a University,” he stated.  ~~Adz:Right~~

The Premier also noted that the Territory has benefited tremendously from UWI’s existence and he made specific mention of the members of the House of Assembly who were trained at that institution.

Describing today’s cordial interchange as an opportunity to renew his acquaintance with the Premier, Professor Nettleford expressed the hope that the strategic alliance established between UWI and the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) would continue. HLSCC recently launched a baccalaureate programme for teachers, an initiative pursued in collaboration with UWI. 

“All of this has been in the pipeline for quite some time and we should continue because we want to produce a citizenry which is committed to the development of the Caribbean and not keep their eyes on Europe or the United States. We must be the creators of our own destiny,” Professor Nettleford said.

The UWI Vice-Chancellor Emeritus will deliver a lecture this evening at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College on the subject Forever Indebted to Women: A View from the Caribbean. The lecture is part of UWI’s 60th Anniversary Lecture Series Initiative. It begins at 7:30 p.m. at the HLSCC Auditorium.