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May 2012
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While on his State visit to Trinidad and Tobago, Governor General Johnston was speaking on Educating and Innovating in a Connected World, about which he was making the point that education and human development are inexorably linked and that in this century, entire societies will find their wellbeing determined by their ability to learn and innovate. Citing several Canadian initiatives within the realm of public education, Governor General Johnston said he was a big believer in collaboration, and touted the value of shared knowledge across disciplines and borders. He noted that in Canada he had outlined a set of pillars he felt were necessary to create a smart and caring nation, and that one of them was strengthening learning and innovation. Underlying his talk was the idea that it didn’t matter how technology made the connections possible in our time, people still need to educate themselves to be innovative and to use their knowledge based upon care for the future of the planet and its inhabitants.
The panel discussion which followed, featured Mrs. Nobina Robinson, Chief Executive Officer at Polytechnics, Canada; Ms. Karen McBride, President and Chief Executive Officer at the Canadian Bureau for International Education; and Mr. James Knight, President Association of Canadian Community Colleges. |
A smart and caring world is within reach if we can encourage each other to do more for future generations. It is one of those utterances of common sense that we all know, even if we do not work out all the linkages that take us to the eventual conclusion. It came from Canada’s Governor General, David Johnston, during his address to an audience at the Daaga Auditorium at the St. Augustine Campus on May 2, 2012.
Pro Vice Chancellor and St. Augustine Campus Principal, Prof Clement Sankat, in his welcome remarks reminded listeners that the 52-year-old Canada Hall on the Campus, built to “celebrate the establishment of the second Campus of the UWI,” was a gift of the Canadian Government. He went on the enumerate some of the scholarships and joint research projects that have existed between universities and other Canadian institutions and The UWI, remarking that this was the kind of collaboration that indeed advanced “teaching, learning, research and innovation.”