SUNDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER, 2016 – UWI TODAY
15
COLUMN
The university in the Caribbean
is perhaps the most
significant instrument which incorporated the British
West Indies into the scholarly networking of the
British Empire after 1850.The term ‘scholarly network’
is usually associated with intellectual or academic
activities. Those persons included agriculturists,
university lecturers/professors, engineers, doctors
and geologists. These professionals were from Britain
and her West Indian colonies, and sought to regularly
convene conferences to share ideas and offer advice.
Some of these specialists published books or journal
articles whilst others delivered scholarly lectures.
Scholarly networking within the British Caribbean
from the 1850s was dominated by links with British
universities. These academic linkages were as a one
way street - directed and controlled from the imperial
centre - England. In the nineteenth century there
was little scholarly reciprocity with the Caribbean
colonies since these were perceived as underdeveloped
and evolving from a background of slavery and
indentureship.
Although the British West Indies had its first
university established in Jamaica in the 1960s, the
university received its accreditation as a college of
the University of London. Its academic programme
was London-directed and known as The University
College of theWest Indies. Later the university became
independent with various faculties.
Scholarly networking within the British Empire
also linked scholars of the Indian diaspora in the
Caribbeanwith universities in India.This was achieved
through the Government of India in its awarding of
scholarships for study at Bombay University, Agra
University, Delhi University and also at Calcutta
and Lucknow Universities. Graduates in medicine,
the humanities and engineering returned to serve
in various Caribbean territories. In the latter part
of the twentieth century an increasing number of
Indians from the Caribbean pursued courses in Indian
culture, music, languages and religious philosophy
at recognised universities in India. This exposure to
programmes at universities in India contributed to
the socialization of the Indian diasporic community
in the Caribbean. It has enhanced the revival of
Indian culture and the development of Hinduism in
the large Hindu communities especially in Trinidad
and Guyana.
The British scholarly network with the Caribbean
has for several decades, included the provision of
technical education for West Indians particularly
through external examinations of The City and
Guilds London Institute. Its standards have directed
the curriculum of several technical institutes and
apprentice programmes such as engineering, computer
science, or hospitality and catering for the tourism-
based economies on certain Caribbean islands.
Before its merger with City and Guilds, the Pitman
Examination Institute of Britain served as a major
accrediting body for Secretarial and Business studies
for several West Indian islands.
Shaping theWest Indian University Identity
B Y J E R O M E T E E L U C K S I N G H
Dr Jerome Teelucksingh is a lecturer in the History Department on the St. Augustine campus. His research interests include trade unionism, Caribbean migration,
Black Power, Indo-Trinidadian culture, Pan-Africanism and institutional influences on Caribbean identity.
After Trinidad and Tobago attained independence
in 1962, The UWI continued to maintain its academic
umbilical cord with Britain. For many persons, The
UWI still served as a conservative colonial institution
that neither challenged the government nor sought
solutions to the Caribbean’s social problems. This
ivory tower image ofThe UWI would soon be abruptly
transformed in 1969. That year witnessed riots
among undergraduate students, who faced racism,
at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia
University) inMontreal, Canada. It was the beginning
of the Black Power Movement in Canada and later
influenced the Black Power Movement in Trinidad
and Tobago. And, on 26 February 1969, UWI students
at St. Augustine prevented the Governor-General of
Canada, RolandMichener, from entering the campus.
The embarrassed UWI administration considered
expelling students who were involved and these
includedGeddes Granger (Makandal Daaga) andDave
Darbeau (Khafra Kambon). However, the university’s
administration soon abandoned the idea probably
fearing more protests.
In the 21st century, there is a remarkable
strengthening of linkages between certain tertiary
institutions in the Caribbean and universities
The UWI must continue
to forge its unique
Caribbean identity
but also maintain its
colonial tradition of high
academic standards
in publishing research
and teaching.
in Britain, particularly in Law and also Business
Administration. For example, external degrees from
the Universities of Leicester, Warwick and Dundee are
awarded through partnership with Caribbean tertiary
institutions.
The most important result of the scholarly
networks was the gradual creation of a West Indian
identity. In the future, The UWI must continue to
forge its unique Caribbean identity but also maintain
its colonial tradition of high academic standards in
publishing research and teaching. More than sixty year
after being established, UWI’s growth and progress
include linkages with British universities including
supervision of graduate theses, collaboration on
research projects and conferences.
The scholarly networks of the colonial era
contributed to the emergence of West Indian leaders
who demonstrated world class leadership and
intellectual skills as their counterparts in Britain and
other developed countries.
In the future, there will be the continued ‘brain
drain’ as UWI graduates depart to developed countries.
In retrospect, this loss in human capital should be
interpreted as a positive step as Caribbean intellectuals
and academics continue to make their contribution
to the global networking of scholarship making the
world richer, not from the crisis of the ‘brain drain
syndrome’ but from the wealth of a rich and diverse
‘brain circulation’ that seeks to promote peace and find
solutions for the myriad of social problems.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
This feature arrived at The
UWI Today a day after
the passing of Makandal
Daaga and was no doubt
being authored before
his untimely death. It
has since emerged as
a contextual piece on
what Daaga stood for,
and is a fitting tribute
from The UWI to his legacy. Dr Teelucksingh
has since added the following note: “Daaga
played a crucial role in ensuring that citizens
of Trinidad and Tobago would not be judged
on the basis of race, ethnicity, or class. He
will also be remembered for his struggle to
promote unity among Indo-Trinidadians and
Afro-Trinidadians. This was important in forging
an alternative West Indian identity that was
progressive and liberal during the 1970s”.
On behalf of The UWI community, we extend
condolences to Makandal Daaga’s family and
to the nation on the passing of a man whose
contribution to our definition of self, should
never be forgotten.
