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Moulding
a nation`s leaders - Vice Chancellor, UWI, Rex Nettleford
I
AM happy to send my congratulations to the Jamaica Teacher`s
Association on the occasion of their 40th Anniversary.
Over the last four decades this organisation has done
sterling work for Education in this nation, forcefully
confronting every challenge that has faced the teachers
of this country, and arguing the case with passion and
the commitment that these men and women deserve, as
well as always reminding us that teachers are mainly
the ones who have the responsibility for moulding a
nation`s leaders.
It
is worthy of note that, the world over, whenever the
media conducts an interview with men or women who have
risen to the top of their profession and are being recognised
for some outstanding contribution that they have made
to improve the human condition, mention is invariably
made of the tremendous debt such honourees owe to some
special teacher in their early years - someone who had
influenced them to understand the importance of service,
striving for excellence, and making a commitment to
help those who are less fortunate. There is no profession
that does not have its roots in the education that was
available, and which enabled the practitioners to rise
to the top in a particular field.
The
JTA has indeed demonstrated a profound understanding
of the role which educators play in shaping a society.
So, as we celebrate this special Anniversary, I urge
the Association to continue to deliver the message of
excellence as a priority, always underscored by the
value of service in nation-building, and above all to
focus on the professional probity that is the legacy
of past generations of Jamaica`s finest foot soldiers,
creative thinkers and warriors in the war against ignorance,
arguably the vilest weapon of mass destruction.
REX NETTLEFORD
Vice Chancellor, UWI
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