• Category

  • Content Type

Advertisement

UWI Professor Says Jamaicans Must Put Efforts Into Developing Country

October 16, 2003

The Full Story

University of the West Indies Lecturer, Professor Verene Shepherd, has lamented the country’s high crime rate and stated that peaceful and amicable means must be found to settle differences rather than resorting to violence.
She said Jamaica was rich in talents and natural resources and efforts must be put into developing the country economically, socially and politically, rather than fighting each other.
“We are now in the post-colonial period, charting our own destiny. Let us learn the lessons of history and try to live in Jamaica, embracing all of our multi-cultural possibilities. If we do not, and keep on murdering each other, we will condemn our nation to an endless future of border clashes. Let us choose an alternative path because we live in a great country”, Professor Shepherd stressed.
She was delivering the second annual Heritage Week lecture organized by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) on October 14 at Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College in St. James. Students from 10 high schools across the parish attended the event, which was held under the theme “Embracing our heritage, out of many one people.”
Professor Shepherd pointed out that the country’s greatest asset was its people and “we need to try and find ways to solve the social and economic problems so that all of our people, of whatever ethnicity or class, can live decently and in harmony with each other.”
Meanwhile, Acting Director of the JNHT, Junie Cannigan-Chambers, told JIS News that the lectures were organized mainly to “stimulate students to research, identify, develop, maintain, protect and preserve Jamaica’s rich heritage”.
“We at JNHT have sole responsibility for preserving and protecting Jamaica’s heritage, and each year we provide students with the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of our history and culture. This is made possible through collaboration with agencies such as the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) and other cultural agencies and educational institutions,” Mrs. Cannigan-Chambers said.
The JNHT’s public education programme was launched eight years ago in all parishes with over 400,000 students from 400 schools benefiting.

Last Updated: October 16, 2003

Skip to content