Students Have a Responsibility to Give Back to Country- Holness

Minister of Education, Andrew Holness, has said that tertiary students, who have benefitted from the Government’s investment in their education, have a social responsibility to give back to the country.
“I’m saying to you, the brightest of the brightest, that we have to put our minds and our hearts into building a new social contract…so if you didn’t have this idea that you have a social responsibility, having been a beneficiary of this sunken investment in you, if you didn’t have it before, I really hope…you will have it now,” he stated.
The Education Minister was addressing the University of the West Indies’ Faculty of Social Sciences awards ceremony held on January 22 at the Mona campus.
He said that persons can carry out their social responsibility, by being efficient and effective in their chosen profession and performing at the highest standard. “Do your profession to the best of your ability; I think that’s the first thing to do. If you are a doctor, be the best doctor. Do the best that you can do,” he urged.
He further appealed to the award recipients to “listen to your social conscience…and if you help one other person than yourself, you would have made at least a small dent…try to find an individual to help.”
Mr. Holness also encouraged them to become environmentally conscious and volunteer their time, knowledge and other resources to the less fortunate.
“Find a cause,” he suggested. “There are many things that need your attention. There are so many misconceptions that if you were to spend a little time to clarify to the people around you, then they would begin to think more positively,” he pointed out.