At the time of writing, UWI St Augustine is about a week from its 2026 Graduation Ceremonies. A little over a month ago, we welcomed new and returning students to the campus for Academic Year 2026/2027. So, in a relatively small space of time the campus community is experiencing both ends of our students’ academic journey. From new learners (many of them young people just out of secondary school) to graduates.
What could be more motivating and meaningful as an educator than seeing years of effort come to fruition through the teaching and development of their students?
As a region, the Caribbean is characterised by its youthfulness and potential. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that Caribbean people place such an emphasis on education. For us, education is very specifically a tool for both personal development and the development of this regional society.
It’s why Eric Williams’s “book bags” quote is one of his most cited. It’s why The UWI exists. Our focus on development is why the university established the School of Education, projects such as The UWI Sixth Form School and the Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) courses and programmes.
Most recently, we launched The UWI St Augustine Pre-School (see article in this issue of UWI TODAY), an early childhood education centre that offers a specialised curriculum designed to support students’ holistic development. The pre-school employs the Blue-Green curriculum approach which uses hands-on activities related to conservation and other forms of environmental stewardship.
As Campus Principal, I championed the establishment of the school to build on St Augustine’s proud record as a pioneer in early childhood education.
Besides students and society, there is another beneficiary of education—the educators themselves. I am sure that many of the faculty and staff of this campus will all say that there is no occupation more fulfilling than being an educator. Not only do we get to play a pivotal part in the development of the people who will inherit the society, we also learn from them.
Education is a two-way exchange. Their youth and dynamism, their optimism for the future and embracing of change, keeps us evolving as well. Education must never be static, and higher education must always be at the forefront of new ideas, processes, and technologies. Our students are the crop that renews the soil, and after graduation, when they have bloomed and gone on to nourish society, a fresh crop is planted anew.
