UTech and its future with UWI

Alfred Sangster, Guest Columnist

The Gleaner's editorial headline of Monday, March 24, 2014 had a final sentence: Consider merging UTech with UWI. In the 1970s, UWI looked down on CAST as the technical institute across the road.

A three-year CAST diploma was seen as less viable for Mona matriculation than an 'A' level from a high school, though St Augustine engineering gave two-year exemptions for the CAST diploma and the credit ratings in the US were even better. It was clear that CAST would have to pursue its own track for academic and professional development in sync with students' careers and academic directions.

In the 1980s, forward-looking minister of education, Mavis Gilmour, gave the college the right to grant its own degrees. This pioneering initiative was achieved with a pilot group of students who had achieved the CAST Technical Teacher's Diploma, were teachers in the high-school system, and were anxious to upgrade their skills and qualifications. The programme was developed on a part-time basis over three years.

EMPHASIS ON TECHNOLOGY

First, it had additional technology in the curriculum. Second, it had special sessions during the school year; and third, it made use of the summer holidays - the 'fourth' term - which The Gleaner highlighted at the time. The first group which graduated in 1986 with the B Ed degree were real pioneers. But the rest of the college was watching and anxious to follow.

The question of recognition of the degrees was critical, and in the case of the education degree, we worked closely with the Joint Board of Teacher Education, and Chairman D.R.B. Grant was very supportive of the development and gave the programme full recognition.

An interesting case came later with the B Eng degree. There were a number of Alcan employees who were refused upgrading by Alcan President Dr Panton, who argued that the programme was not accredited. We took on the challenge and invited the newly established accrediting body, The University Council of Jamaica, to review the programme.

A team that included representatives from a UK polytechnic, the UWI Faculty of Engineering, and the Jamaican Institution of Engineers recommended the accreditation of the programme and the degree. This was a major victory at the time, for it provided a legitimising of our degrees and we never looked back. Other degree programmes were developed, but it was not until September 1995 that the institution was formally upgraded to university status by Minister of Education Burchell Whiteman. By this time, CAST, now renamed UTech, Jamaica had more than 20 different degree programmes, including a Master of Architecture degree.

Clearly, changes would have to come to the institution, and Dr Rae Davis, who followed me in 1996, had the responsibility of taking the new university forward with the necessary elements of higher qualification for staff, more research and some of the trappings of 'university'. He was followed by Professor Errol Morrison in 2007, who carried those necessary developments further.

Some of the critical early developments for the institution in those formative years were the following:

• It achieved national, regional and international credibility for the quality of its programmes.
• It became Jamaica's first and only national university (the People's University) and had become a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
• It had completed three development plans, introduced five new subject areas including regional architecture through a regional UNDP project, and demonstrated its potential for innovation.

These and many other developments are described in the publication The Making of a University, from CAST to UTech, authored by me.

What should the relationship be between UWI and UTech? Three recent academic developments are instructive:

Law is offered by UWI in Cave Hill. UTech started law in Jamaica and UWI has followed at Mona.

Engineering is offered by UTech from its inception, and UWI offered engineering in Trinidad. UWI has subsequently started to offer engineering at Mona.

UTech started dentistry in Jamaica a few years ago, following years of the country crying out for the programme and expects to graduate its first group in 2015. UWI has subsequently started dentistry at Mona in Jamaica.

These examples, brought to the attention of the minister of education, are not only instructive, but highlight what ought not to happen. The need for collaboration, and not militant competition, is clearly called for.

At a recent breakfast meeting at UWI, Mona, I raised with the principal the possibility of the two institutions collaborating for the use of the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium. Readers may recall a trite remark by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, saying in response to the request from UTech for the stadium: "We love UTech, but the answer is no." I thought that the collaboration of the two universities might have seemed viable for that loss-making stadium. We shall see!

THE FUTURE OF UTECH

A further question is, what should be the direction for the growing UTech? There was a recent Septennial Review of UTech's early 'University History'. I quote from the review chaired by Dr Franklyn Johnston, adviser to the minister of education:

"The UTech 2020 study took the radical position that the seamless transition from CAST to UTech was a mixed blessing because it left behind much more than it changed. CAST and UTech were established to serve two very different missions. CAST was set up to produce technical workers. It produced 'work-ready' graduates. UTech was established to produce 'mind-ready' graduates. The study made the point that the blurring of the boundaries between college and university is not to the long-term advantage of the university. CAST had built a reservoir of 'goodwill' which was not transferable to the UTech." This unrealistic "work-ready", "mind-ready" distinction is unfortunate, as both elements are necessary for creative and professional development. Nor was it clear how the two institutions were to have two different missions. UTech must continue its development to deal with Jamaica's problems, mainly in the areas of science and technology, with its many applications at all levels and all areas of the society. Both UWI and UTech have significant, but different roles to play in Jamaica's development. It behoves them both to look to new ways to collaborate for our national development.

Alfred W. Sangster is president emeritus of UTech. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and sangsteralfred@yahoo.com.