LUNCHTIME LECTURE SPONSORED
BY THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES AND THE CENTRAL BANK OF BARBADOS AT THE
GRAND SALLE TOM ADAMS FINANCIAL CENTRE
30TH JANUARY, 2013
Hilford A. Murrell
HAS TERTIARY EDUCATION RESPONDED TO THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHALLENGES
OF BARBADOS
I am informed that I have been selected as the
first in a number of presenters for this year's Lunchtime Lecture Series under
the sponsorship of the University of the West indies and the Central Bank of
Barbados. In the prosaic of cricketing parlance, I called upon to face the 'new ball'. This situation teases my memory to recall the
day I was invited to attend a cricket coaching session which was being
directed by cricketer emeritus, Mr.
Everton Weekes, now Sir Everton Weekes.
With the charisma and diction
that would be the envy of any Oxford don, he emphasised to the gathering
of young Lodge School students, the
importance of keeping one's eyes on the ball. In explaining the rationale for
this instruction, he indicated that the bowler's job is to send you back to the pavilion as
quickly as possible while, as the batsman, your responsibility is to frustrate his intentions. He demonstrated
how we should anchor our right foot to
enable us to pivot, drive or execute a shot in response to the delivery but
stressed that we should at all times keep our left foot forward with our
heads over the ball. I was selected as
the first candidate to rehearse the instructions that were given. I failed miserably, not even able
to make connection with the ball.
As a result the coach with almost spontaneous assessment gestured ' next man' and with the colouring
of a seasoned diplomat, declared '....by
the way youngster, you do not have to come back'. All I can say is that I am more mature now.
UWI
Cavehill and the Central Bank of
Barbados
Before I commence my address on the selected topic, I feel
compelled to thank the Cavehill Campus
of the University of West Indies and the Central Bank of Barbados for
providing sponsorship to facilitate this
initiative of Lunchtime Lectures. Together, these two institutions represent an
exemplar of over 90 years of dedication and direction that has enlightened and, in no small measure,
transformed our society. We therefore
hope that these series of Lunchtime Lectures will continue as a platform for
public education.
In this context of education, we must
rightly be reminded that education
should never be considered a destiny but a journey. A journey that that may lead us into unchartered waters.
However, girded with the presence of tolerance and forbearance, characteristics
that have been nurtured and inculcated
in the process of higher education, no burden is too heavy, no task too
difficult to accomplish.
The
relevance of Education- the Regional perspective
As I seek to address the topic Has
Tertiary Education responded to the social and economic challenges of Barbados,
let me be the first to concede that this is a wide-ranging topic which neither
time nor opportunity will facilitate its fullest exploitation. My focus of attention may not
target the varied and varying syllabi presented for tertiary education but I
will endeavour to speak to those several beneficiaries of that upper level of
education.
I am sure that you will forgive me if I
employ as my point of departure, the
opening lines from a 1960 publication entitled The Tyranny of Economic Paternalism in
Africa penned by S Herbert Frankel, Professor of Colonial Economic
Affairs in the University of Oxford. I have chosen the opening extract from
this booklet as it embodies and embraces the very philosophical vista that will
engage our discussions.
Here the Professor asserts " The
history of economic development of new countries can be usefully looked upon as
a process of adjustment on three planes: (a) political and territorial
(b)sociological and economic, and (c) psychological. None of these can be
separated in hard and fast compartments. They can all be seen as a struggle
which is both objective and subjective."
Some of you may begin to wonder
what political and territorial
adjustment has to do with the topic at hand.
Permit me therefore to clarify. Firstly,
the University of the West Indies is a
regional institution which continues to shape the philosophical and , at times,
the ideological inclination of its students. The economic survival of Barbados
and is fellow Caribbean States demands that there is some stable level of
regional integration. This assertion is
evident from the persistent calls for regional unity that were exemplified and articulated by
Professor Sir Arthur Lewis in his
publication The Agony of the Eight . In this 39 page booklet, Sir Arthur
assiduously chronicled the
simmering differences that prevailed
among leaders of the West Indies Federation until it eventually collapsed on 31st May 1962
There is an old adage which states '
pressure from without forms unity and cohesion within'. With the designation as
a Small Island Developing State, Barbados shares many things in common with its
Caribbean neighbours - diminishing
economic growth, growing unemployment, high debt servicing burden and a
significant dependence on foreign capital assistance. This affirmation coupled with a virtual warning to steer the Caribbean territories towards regionalism, was
expressed in the publication The
Third World in the age of Globalisation....Requiem or New Agenda? Here, its author Dr.Ash Narain Roy,
Assistant Editor of The Hindustan Times,
New Delhi, unreservedly declared that in
this world of rabid global competiveness, regional integration is a necessary imperative
if social and economic survival is to be assured. And what is the Number 1
priority in responding to this New Agenda .....Education.
It is therefore instructive that the Revised Treaty of
Chaguaramas establishing the Caribbean Community and The Caricom Single Market
& Economy (CSME) to which CARICOM member states gave their signature of
approval on 5th July 2001, included in ARTICLE 6-
Objectives of the Community....." intensified activities in
areas such as health and education." Moreover, in ARTICLE 46 which addresses the Movement of Skilled Community Nationals, graduates of tertiary
education (University Graduates) head the list of the categories of
Community nationals accorded the right to seek employment in their
jurisdictions. The message being conveyed is that tertiary education is at the
vanguard of national and regional development. But one may rightly ask, is that opportunity being fully exploited?
Education
- an instrument of economic policy
Before seeking to respond to that
question, please bear with me as I take leave
into the realm of education as an instrument of economic policy. In this
regard , there is a generally accepted principle, that investment, particularly international
investment, seeks a resting place which gives comfort to its long term strategic plan. Heading the list of
such expectations, is the educational quality of the workforce coupled with a
social environment that is not far removed from being a replica of its home
base.
While these basic precepts are standard
prerequisites, Lester Thurow, the
Lemelson Professor of Management and Economics at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology,(M IT) was more candid and
unceremonious in his determination of such expectations. In a publication Fortune Favors The Bold....what we must
do
to build a new and lasting global prosperity, the MIT Professor asserts
that business firms can effectively veto any country's entry into the global
economy. He posits that business firms , not countries, decide whether a country
has the right criteria to participate when they decide where they should locate
their activities. Thurow then summarised his opinion in an
undiluted expression " ......No one is interested in producing the
goods and services of tomorrow in a country with an illiterate workforce,
without modern electronic infrastructure, and in a context of social chaos -
crime, corruption, and no social services."
The message from the MIT Professor is
that in an environment of incisive international competitiveness,
countries have to learn how to sell themselves to global firms as good places
to do business. As a country that yearns
to attract foreign investment, Barbados well understands the arguments on
the importance of education as an economic input hence the adoption of a socioeconomic policy that grants free
education from primary to tertiary level. However, can Barbados cope in this challenging environment of fierce global competition?
Coping
with the challenges in a dynamic world
Attracting foreign investment is both a social as well as an economic imperative; social as a source of
job creation and economic, as a provider of foreign exchange which is vital to
economic sustainability.
In both categories, Barbados must place
itself at the cutting edge of information and communication technology. This
applies as much to the mature worker as it does to the youth who are more
readily inclined to grasp any innovative
concepts. In its 2007 World Development Report styled Development and the Next Generation, the World Bank presents a case
for more effective use of technology both as a tool for learning as well as for
employment.
With a focus on tertiary education, the Report
lauds the Internet's capacity for two-way interaction in that it offers the
greatest promise for improving access and affordability and for providing the
flexibility to combine work and further study. From a domestic and
private perspective, the Internet is the
playground for the youth and this offers
social challenges especially in households where there is limited or even an
absence of computer literacy.
To stem the possibility of our
unsuspecting youth being entrapped in child pornography and other forms of deviant exposure, tertiary graduates in his discipline should form themselves into volunteer groups and
teach the youth to be safe and responsible users of the new technology.
I mentioned earlier that information and
communication technology (ICT) was
one of the several prerequisites of attracting business to our shores. In fine
tuning these policies the World
Bank Report states that the
main ICT priority of any government
is to ensure a good investment climate that allows private companies to serve
the growing demand for ICT services,
by enacting regulations that provide for easy entry and competition.
In addressing the concerns of the youth,
the Report
charges that Government should provide good regulatory conditions for modes of
communal access, such as village phones and Internet cafes. Above all, the Report
calls upon Government to provide the youth with skills needed to best
take advantage of new technologies, through teaching global languages and
developing ways to teach youth to be responsible users of the technology.
When we speak of Government in an
abstract sense, we are actually referring, in the main, to those persons
who at one time or other are the very beneficiaries of tertiary education
and who can direct and assist in the
formulation of Government policy.
Keeping
pace with the competition
I mentioned earlier the subject of
international competitiveness. In any civil activity that involves an element
of competition, it is not uncharacteristic to ferret out even some basic
understanding of a rival's procedure and propensity. The same can be
said of education as a fulcrum for economic success.
In this context I have chosen to make reference to the broad views
expressed by David Coates, a Worrell Professor of Anglo - American Studies at
Wake Forest University, North Carolina. In his publication Models of Capitalism......Growth
and Stagnation in the Modern Era, Professor
Coates affirms that the importance of
education as an economic input has been triggered by the intensification
of international competition. He
then advances three distinct theses to
support his claim.
In the first instance, Coates asserts that education is now the nation's
key resource - its ultimate guarantor of economic success - because it alone focuses on the one input
into economic activity. He further added
that in an age of global capital,
investment in human capital is all that remains as an instrument of policy for a government that seeks to attract global investment to its territory and
economy. In short, his thesis reminds
us that educational performance becomes
the central determinant of where
high-value-added production facilities settle and reside.
The second thesis advanced by Coates
recognises the paradigm shift in business culture. He argues that the old
principle of sustained profitability
through market dominance and economies of scale have given way to less
tangible assets such as Research and
Development. This paradigm shift has introduced a new work ethic which again
places education at the forefront of economic growth. What this means is that successful economies
will in future place greater reliance on
tertiary education as central to economic success.
In his third hypothesis, Coates argues
that the new paradigm will renew enthusiasm for educational routes to economic
competiveness and this in turn will raise productivity of the economy as a
whole.
The examples proffered by Professor
Coates are as relevant to Barbados as they
could be to and other developing country in the Caribbean or elsewhere .
It is on this premise therefore that we
will now turn attention to the domestic market/environment.
Tertiary
Education and the Local Environment
The social revolution of 1937 was a
watershed in the history of Barbados. Thereafter, the Colonial Government maintained a
watching brief on its West Indian
colonies then, one of its main sources of sugar. On the pretext of being a protective
and caring landlord, the Colonial
government commissioned Sir George Seel
in 1951to undertake what in modern terms, would be referred to as an
audit of the Development and Welfare of the West Indies. In his Report which was shared with the Colonies, he included as
a point of reference, a statement made
by British Prime Minister Benjamin
Disraeli in the House of Commons on 15th June 1874 ....Upon the education of the people
of this country the fate of the country depends. Ironically, this broad
statement continues to be the bedrock and standard bearer of our social and philosophical perspective.
In this context, I could not fail to
bring to your attention part of the
citation in 1988 by Princeton University on Nobel Laureate , Sir Arthur Lewis
who is reported to have devoted his life to the thesis that "the
fundamental cure for poverty is not money, but knowledge."
As I speak to the positions adopted by
some of our graduates of tertiary education, it
behoves me to rekindle the memory
of those present as well as those
absent that 'To whom much is given, much
is expected'.
I make this declaration because I hold steadfast to the view that one of
the fundamental principles of education is to lend a helping hand to the less
fortunate. This means that the higher one ascends the ladder of educational
exposure, the greater the burden of responsibility. Such responsibility must be expressed not only in
the narrow confines of the workplace but also in a specific as well as general
sense for public edification.
As far back as the Colonial Estimates for
the fiscal year 1948/49 expenditure under the head of Education was £234,108.00 equivalent to 25% of overall Estimates. This
trend of high allocations to Education
has continued with the result that during the last 15 years cumulative
expenditure under the Head of Education stood at BDS$6,566,605,908.With such
levels of expenditure on education, are we getting open feedback on matters
of to public interest and concern? I can hear the rumblings in the
background..."Me and get transferred" ," Not me, I have my
children to feed " " Let so and so make that suggestion, because she/he is a "B" or "D"
depending on which political Party
holds the reins of government. If this muzzled situation persists one may be
inclined to question to what avail is this
expansive expenditure on education.
The truth of the matter is that for long
a time
Barbados has become too politically polarised. This trend of purposely
engineered party affiliation has
stymied and stifled critical analysis
and intellectual discourse for fear of parliamentary backlash. It is
indeed ironical that with the
privilege extended under the umbrella
of our system of parliamentary
democracy, these very Parliamentarians have a licence to speak freely and
fearlessly of and about anything and , at times, about anyone of their choosing
within the precincts of Parliament.
However, if
the maturity of higher education is to be realised and manifested,
those who have benefitted from the
highest station of education must join forces and let their voices be heard on
matters of public interest and concern. We must ask ourselves, for how long
will our society continue to be
influenced only by the few commentators from the Cave Hill Campus who enjoy security of tenure in their workplace? My
guess is for a long time. What is yours? The reason simply is - the preservation of job security in a
society with limited employment
opportunities.
But there are times when personal
conscience takes precedence over political patronage. I refer no doubt to the
passage of The Tenantries (Freehold
Purchase ) Act 1980 which for the first time, allowed working class persons to own the parcel of the land on which they resided. The
price of ten cents per square foot may be inconsequential but the enshrined
right of passing this legacy to
generations yet unborn will be immortalised in the memory of these workers.
It is indeed an enduring shame that some
of the very offspring from working class background who attained the
highest levels of education and should therefore know better, frowned upon what
may ordinarily be termed a 'gift' to those who, with minimum wages, cut and loaded our canes, forked and weeded
our cane fields, picked up the trash and headed canes in the most difficult
terrain , in the boiling sun and pouring rain. They withstood all these
hardships in an effort to enhance the
Barbados' foreign exchange earnings from sugar production which, after surpassing the 200,000 mark in 1967, has steadily declined to an all time low of 23,524 and 24,
526 tonnes for the years 2011 and 2012 respectively.
If a political argument may be advanced
for not supporting one's rival, there is
no excuse why those of higher learning distanced themselves from any
association with the working class who sought their assistance. Let me give you
an example. In 1997, in the spirit of worker empowerment, Government with the
blessing of the Barbados Workers Union (BWU) decided to partially privatise
some of the operations of the Transport Board. A company United Commercial
Autoworks Limited(UCAL) was incorporated and a Prospectus issued with a public
offering at $1.00 per share. With all the diatribe of support for the working
class, guess how many private individuals persons sought to acquire shares in
this working class company.......less than twenty.
There is a song which asks "Where
have all the flowers gone?" Why did
all those beneficiaries of higher education distance themselves even to give
critical support to an initiative to which they would have been taught, and indeed
expected, to give guidance and direction? These persons must be reminded that
those who are most highly educated have a moral obligation to come to the
assistance of the less fortunate. This proclamation was made in a publication The
Creation of Wealth in which its author Professor Brian Griffiths makes reference to the following
quotation from renowned economist/ philosopher Adam Smith ".....In
civilised societies man stands at all times in need of the cooperation
and assistance of great multitudes, while his whole life is scarce sufficient
to gain friendship of a few persons. In almost every other race of animals each
individual, when it is grown up to maturity , is entirely independent, and in
its natural state has occasion for the assistance of no other living crature.
But man has almost constant occasion for the help of his brethren."
However, despite the national stand-off,
come 31st July 2013 , UCAL will celebrate its Sixteenth Anniversary under the
Chairmanship of Sir Roy Trotman. It worthy of
note that during its sixteen year existence not one employee has been laid off or put on
short week employment. Why therefore is all the rhetoric about giving ordinary citizens a stake in the ownership of productive assets via partial privatisation?
Facing
the challenges of tertiary education
I would be the first to admit there may
be some fear and trepidation when commenting on the policies and programmes of
Government or even the Private Sector. When I began to comment on financial and
other affairs, I was summoned to the
Central Bank and told that 99 persons
will have something to say, but only one
will write. He advised me that some readers
will criticize you, others may consider your writings of some worth, but
do not be discouraged.....never give up. That advice came from Dr. De Lisle
Worrell in the mid 1980's, and I now pass it on to those other beneficiaries of
higher learning.
When I delivered an address at the
Graduation Ceremony of one of our Secondary Schools on 7th July 1991, I was informed that over the last ten years, 2914 local students graduated
from UWI. In contrast, the figure for local graduates over the period 2007 to
2011 stands at 8059.This means that the pool of persons capable of commenting on both public and private matters
of interest and concern has grown significantly.
I said earlier that there are many
persons in our society who express their sentiments in the comfort of the
living room in fear of victimisation. However, I recall that the late Prime Minister
David Thompson, in his maiden speech to the BCCI in February 2008 warned them
not to tell him what they think he wants to hear. I will take licence from our
former leader and make reference to some areas of national concern. ****(ad
lib)
Privatisation,
Entrepreneurship, Share-ownership are
all wrapped in the same cloth. There is a general feeling among some of us that everything imported is better than local...even ideas. Therefore,
on this question of privatisation, allow to quote from an article in the
Financial Times of Thursday 20th September1984. Here Dr David Owen, then leader
of the SDP stated " the best way of
promoting a progressive and prosperous social market economy is to insist on a
more dispersed ownership of property and assets, so that the benefits and the
degree of personal independence which it makes possible become widely available
- instead of being confined to the few."
Transport
Board
For the Financial years 1991 to 2008, the
Transport Board made cumulative losses of BDS$245,539,696.00. With a fleet of
294 omnibuses as against 164 Minibuses
and 227 ZR's public transport is already in the hands of the Private Sector. If
we are to go forward, further sections of the Board's operations can be
privatised in a manner similar to UCAL. Allow
the same working class persons to establish corporations similar to UCAL
where there were no job losses. The only complaint that so far has surfaced
about privatisation is the possibility
of not having a late bus for workers. Let us work together to reduce these
spiraling losses ever being mindful that we now have 75060 private cars, 566
Maxi Taxis and 1260 registered Taxis.
It
cannot be business as usual - it has to be business unusual.
Summer
Camps
Government has committed itself to the principle of
entrepreneurship. No one will deny that this has been a commendable suggestion
which has borne fruit. During the period 2008
to 2012, 12171 Business Names have been registered. This represents an
increase of slightly less than 300 over the previous five year period of
11883.
Let us put back the Summer Camps into the hands of the
youth thereby creating a novel system
entrepreneurship. This will allow these
young individuals an opportunity to gain experience in areas
such as building inter personal
relationships, budgeting, target setting, and problem solving, to mention
only a few. Above all, contributions by
government will be towards the most needy and should be a considerable saving
in the public purse. It cannot be business as usual-it has to be
business unusual
Constituency
Councils/ SSA
I have lumped Constituency Councils and
the SSA together because I am of the view that a meaningful relationship between these two bodies can be
a forum for job creation. Let me make my position absolutely clear. I agree
that there should be some tier of responsibility between the Parliamentary representative and
his/her constituents but the alignment of a Council to a particular
representative conveys a master/ servant relationship. I have already made my
position clear on this matter to the Minister of Finance and have also written
my piece on the subject.
The re-branded entity can circulate
persons living in the several new developments and seek their authority to
institute private garbage collection
days. If properly structured, the cost
to householders would be sufficient to fund
the operation and will create a new cadre of private working class
owners along with additional jobs
or for garbage assistants. This
will relieve the pile up of garbage
throughout the island where such developments reside.
There will be no job losses and existing
garbage units can be deployed in those densely populated and suburban
areas where is likely to be an overflow
of garbage. Perhaps Government may even wish to include any such private
expenditure as an allowable tax deduction. It cannot be business as usual - it has to
be business unusual.
Conclusion
When I compiled my presentation, I had no
knowledge that the date for General Elections would have been announced. Some
of what I said may therefore find its way on the political platforms. That is
good because, it would mean they have read it or heard about.
I thank all of you for coming at the
sacrifice of your luncheon hour. God bless you and God bless Barbados.
Hilford A. Murrell, LLM, LLB
Attorney at Law
Vice President, Barbados Economics
Society
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