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March 2011
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Higher education builds healthy civil society
Speaking at a ceremony at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education to hand over national instruments of appointment to State Boards on March 15, Prof Sankat said he felt the NCHE should “support Government’s vision of the creation of a diversified economy, a strong knowledge sector, and the proliferation of entrepreneurial initiatives yielding higher-end jobs and a better standard of living.” “In multifaceted, often challenging societies like ours in Trinidad & Tobago, higher education must play a decisive role in building social cohesion and in laying the foundations of a healthy civil society based upon good governance and participative democracy,” said Prof Sankat. He set out some of the immediate tasks before the new Commission: developing mission, vision, goals and objectives; establishing a secretariat and a Research Intelligence Unit, and noted that relevant legislation would have to be enacted to properly empower the NCHE, and funding would have to be secured. “There is much to be done, to be achieved for our country and especially the young people of our country. We must give them hope that through engagement and continuous learning, there is a better day ahead. We must find the ways and means to keep them engaged in education, despite the challenges which we see as educational hurdles. We have a special responsibility here in building a better, thoughtful, understanding and forward-looking society and shaping the future of our country and region,” said Prof Sankat as he cautioned board members, “We cannot fail.” |
Reviewing the higher education system with a view towards “rationalization, building efficiency and effectiveness, and synergistic, collaborative relationships,” is one of the roles seen for the National Commission for Higher Education (NCHE) by its new Chairman, Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal of the St Augustine Campus, Prof Clement Sankat.