Caribbean Single Market and Economy - Who says UWI isn’t doing enough?

Written by Eldonna Lendor


Continued from page 1

But is UWI doing enough to assist graduates to confrontrepparttar changes inrepparttar 144967 international trading environment andrepparttar 144968 implications for small, open economies like ours? There is only so much that institutions ofrepparttar 144969 region, such as UWI can do. The business sector armed with a more educated workforce must now dorepparttar 144970 rest.

One thing is certain. UWI has overrepparttar 144971 years engendered a spirit of regional cooperation and Caribbean identity. Without a doubt,repparttar 144972 University, as a regional institution, has served as a beacon in bringingrepparttar 144973 people and countries ofrepparttar 144974 region together. To suggest otherwise is to be overly critical and to underscorerepparttar 144975 efforts ofrepparttar 144976 Governments, University Officials and Graduates who have contributed to this process. But amidst these efforts, University Officials admit thatrepparttar 144977 numbers of OECS (Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States) registrants continue to decline. More and more students ofrepparttar 144978 region are looking towards programmes at foreign universities, albeit self funded and more expensive. Why is that? The answer may lie inrepparttar 144979 fact thatrepparttar 144980 university has itself failed to adapt torepparttar 144981 changing climate.

The present economic climate requiresrepparttar 144982 region’s tertiary learning institutions to swiftly provide a broad base of skilled professionals. This, it is believed, will set in motionrepparttar 144983 potential forrepparttar 144984 region to compete withrepparttar 144985 mega trade blocs that have emerged, in recent time. This requires that our learning institutions facilitate more wide spread and affordable access to education forrepparttar 144986 people ofrepparttar 144987 region. The Developed Countries have resorted to online distant learning programmes to achieve this objective. Admittedly, one ofrepparttar 144988 compelling shortcomings of UWI is that while major universities aroundrepparttar 144989 world have successfully established reputable online learning programmes, “UWI is still trying to play catch up.” The absence of an effective online learning programme that facilitates widespread and cost effective access to tertiary education, says it all. Inrepparttar 144990 context of our geography, it is indicative ofrepparttar 144991 University’s inability to adequately position itself to meetrepparttar 144992 needs ofrepparttar 144993 people and countries ofrepparttar 144994 region.

Who is to say that UWI’s strategies and timing are not in keeping withrepparttar 144995 demonstrated needs of its people? The real question is what role should UWI play in preparingrepparttar 144996 region for CSME. Is there a defined role or a specific aspect for which it should assume responsibility? The issue of whether UWI is doing enough or what it should be doing will remain a topic for debate. What is beyond dispute is that UWI can and should be doing more to preparerepparttar 144997 region forrepparttar 144998 challenges ofrepparttar 144999 CSME.

Eldonna Lendor is a Corporate Attorney and Small Business Strategist. She is the CEO of http://www.patantconsult.com and publisher of eXplosion!, an ezine which provides advice to small business entrepreneurs. She is the co-founder of http://www.talkcsme.blogspot.com, a blog, which discusses issues affecting persons and businesses in the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).


Teen Suicide, how do we stop it?

Written by Ryan Orr


Continued from page 1

"We come to this circle with open arms, hoping forrepparttar best for our families and ourselves. We listen to our leaders. We obey even when it does not sit well in our hearts. We condemnrepparttar 144627 outside world for wanting our ways of life and peace, yet many of us grasp their ways and have no peace. We do for each other, we work day and night and then come torepparttar 144628 circle for peace in our lives.

Maybe sometimes we forget how big this circle of life is, maybe we put our ways too high on a pedestal and cannot leave them behind when we come torepparttar 144629 circle. Maybe we forget how important our children our to our futures, our mother earth, our very sanity. Maybe we forget our veterans who inrepparttar 144630 circle we honor and forget when we are outside. Maybe we learn from our teachers, but they should not be teaching. Maybe there are good teachers and we are not listening.

Quiet now, listen torepparttar 144631 music ofrepparttar 144632 wind,repparttar 144633 birds, smellrepparttar 144634 blossoms, close your eyes and sniffrepparttar 144635 goodness ofrepparttar 144636 land,repparttar 144637 blue sky,repparttar 144638 warm earth. Keep your eyes closed and imagine a blue circle. Imagine that is us. Now imagine allrepparttar 144639 pow wows inrepparttar 144640 nation going on atrepparttar 144641 same time on that blue circle. Makerepparttar 144642 circle bigger, and bigger yet.

The circle of life does not stop when you leaverepparttar 144643 circle ofrepparttar 144644 pow wow. The circle of life is as mighty asrepparttar 144645 four winds, bigger thanrepparttar 144646 sky. If you have chosen to be a part ofrepparttar 144647 circle then rememberrepparttar 144648 circle is all ofrepparttar 144649 earth, and each person and animal on it. The Creator commands us to be caretakers ofrepparttar 144650 earth. The trees,repparttar 144651 animals, our old and young, our veterans and mothers, but most of all our neighbors."

Remember we are riding onrepparttar 144652 good ship Lollipop, and it is up to us to make it better, if children and teens are going to survive they must believe there is hope to changerepparttar 144653 things they believe they cannot change. Each of us can make a difference, one voice is all it takes. If you make it a billion voices, it will change dramatically, no teacher, no church, no political system can do that. Only you -repparttar 144654 parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles and friends can do that. You can change anything. Just cry out. Believe me, I do it each week and see those changes.

Mayberepparttar 144655 media, maybe our leaders have forgotten these things. Let us hope that you remember them, you teach them to your children, because they our are future, give themrepparttar 144656 hope now to accomplish that goal, give themrepparttar 144657 hope they need to survive. ---



Randy Redhawk has written four novels and two self help books under the name Ryan Orr, including "Beyond the Oasis". His free lance articles have appeared in several Gannet newspapers, as well as the New York Times and Chicago Tribune and other major publications under Randy Weldon. He is a published Herpetologist and worked for many Zoos before becoming a minister.


    <Back to Page 1
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use