The contribution being made will be contained by the time limit and, focus on tertiary education, but with emphasis on the Caribbean experience.
Tertiary Education institutions have been an integral part of human society for almost as many years as religious institutions.
The pursuit of scholarships, teaching, learning and research – the pillars of a University – has always been a significant activity of all civilizations. In many cases, such activities have had as their objective – the preparation of individuals for specific professions – in medieval time – clergy and law and in the early 19th Century – medicine, science and the arts joined the studies of law and religion.
With the growth of the industrial culture in the developed world – several other disciplines sought and obtained ‘academic status’ and the tendency to specialization took growth.
Specialties in Engineering – no longer only civil as opposed to military – the sciences, economics, social sciences, management etc. have today all achieved equal status with the traditional professional subjects and Universities and other tertiary education institutions have become closely related to economic development. As a recent quotation puts it:
“A highly educated citizenry trained to support the economic activity of a nation is essential, and numerous studies confirm the direct correlation between a highly educated workforce, economic competitiveness, and the wealth of a nation. The dynamic and volatile nature of the global economy requires a human resource pool with entrepreneurial skills that anticipate economic and technological changes and respond expeditiously.”
That quotation provides the starting point to treat with the question of:
