 |
 |
 |
|
September 2009
|
EDITORIAL: Pioneers in our midstAs I welcomed thousands of new students to the St Augustine Campus earlier this month, I reminded them that education is a lifelong journey and that the difference between a student and a true scholar is the commitment to use knowledge and research to uplift society and to make a contribution to development. As an institution, a university is therefore not merely a place dedicated to higher learning. It is a place where scholarly research helps to shape and develop a civilization, with a focus on building a better future. At The UWI, we have pioneers in our midst working on a range of issues that affect our daily lives—lifestyle diseases, climate change and sustainable development, diversification of our economy, creative and festival arts, steel pan research and marketing, food and agricultural science, to name a few. The UWI has intensified its efforts and increased its funding for research and development work, because we firmly believe that this is the cornerstone of an innovative and competitive society. In support of the Government’s national Vision 2020 Plan, we are concentrating even more on demonstrating the relevance of the research we do to the needs of our society. In this issue, we feature one element of pioneering work in early childhood education being done at the Family Development and Children’s Research Centre (FDCRC). For just over 20 years, the FDCRC has been developing teaching methods and has become the model school for the State’s current investment in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centres throughout the country. We have also supported the University School which, for more than 60 years, has produced many scholarship winners but more importantly, very rounded children steeped in the arts, culture and sports with a strong sense of civic pride. In a nutshell, The University of the West Indies is much more than undergraduate teaching. Knowledge creation and dissemination, research, innovation and strong partnerships are all at the core of what we are about. Let us celebrate all those who continue to work steadily at building this institution and our nation.
|
