Inspired by God, Guided by purpose - Dr Cowans aims high

Tamara Bailey, Gleaner Writer

Spaldings, Clarendon:

"I am a man first; a man who was born without a right hand, and that is not semantics, it is fact," said the Reverend Dr Gordon Earl Cowans, principal of Knox Community College. He was born without the lower section of his right arm, but expressed that a disability is no deterrent to what a person can do.

Cowans has devoted most of his life to educating and moulding the minds of the young people he has encountered - through his 20 years of experience at Knox College (the high school) and now his appointment to Knox Community College since January of this year.

Cowans moved from studies in education, to ministry, to economics, and back. Some might call that
confusion, but Cowans calls it providence.

How it
began

His introduction to the field of education began
when he graduated from Excelsior High School, and enrolled in Church
Teachers' College in Mandeville. He graduated with honours and was
awarded the Joint Board of Teacher Education Diploma in Guidance and
Counselling.

With varying interests and still no clear
decision on what he wanted to do, Cowans later enrolled at the
University of the West Indies (UWI), and the United Theological College
of the West Indies, where he pursued a bachelor's degree in economics
and a diploma in Ministerial Studies and Licentiate of Theology. Cowans
went on to complete a Master of Commerce degree in Economics from the
University of Melbourne in Australia, and with his passion for pastoral
ministry, a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Colombia Theological
Seminary in the United States.

Upward, Onward,
Focused

After returning home, Cowans, who had lectured
at the United Theological College of the West Indies and taught at UWI,
was granted the position he had applied for years before his
qualification - principal of Knox College.

The
opportunity excited Cowans.

"What turns me on is the
excellence in academic performance of a youngster, especially in the
Jamaican environment where there is this kind of dumbing down of our
youth. They too often think this is as much as I can handle, and 'I
can't manage the pressure', and too much studying will mad you and all
of that nonsense. It's coming from a place where it was OK to do three
subjects, then moving to doing five subjects, and having been influenced
by friends who are doing eight and nine, you too decide to do it and
end up with eight grade ones. I have seen too many of these situations
to die for."

In a new environment 20 years later with a
more mature age group and different requirements, a prescient Cowans
has already seen progress with implementations made, and is optimistic
that a collaborative effort with administration will see improved
procedures, continued student centredness, high retention of students
and the cognisance of the public on the range of accredited practical
programmes offered.

"I bring to the commitment here no
less conviction that people are capable of excellence in performance in
a range of areas."

He continued: "Without being glib,
I have a sense about what I'm doing here so I'm not accidentally here. I
believe in providence. I know the institution is owned by the church.
I'm a committed minister of the United Church that owns the school, so
I've come knowing the work that is required
here."

Cowans believes that the education system needs
to be more focused on the clients (students), in finding out how to
cater to their needs. He expressed that though theory is important, the
more practical hands-on approach for students' success should be sought
after.

The self-acclaimed 'simple
man'

Cowans boasts admirable academic accomplishments
and religious accolades, including being founder and trustee of the
Inner City Development Trust, and member of the National Advisory
Council on Disability, to the then minister of social security. As
minister for nine years at the Scots Kirk United Church, Cowans still
sees himself as a family man, with few friends but a deep appreciation
for roots.

"I am a very deeply committed family man
and family in the broadest sense. I grew with the sense of mentality
that our parents taught us by action, that people don't just drop into
the world, they are deeply connected. There are a couple of friends, and
maybe I'm not a person with a wide circle of friends because the people
I am connected to have been there for a very long time, and so my best
friendships are from schooldays."

He spends his
downtime with his two children whom he loves dearly, overseeing church
programmes, and 'linking' with old friends, and various initiatives. He
is Caribbean co-coordinator of the Ecumenical Disability Advocates
Network.

"I believe I am injected into every
circumstance by God to improve it and make it a little better for being
there. I don't believe that anyone's purpose on Earth is to worsen a
situation or someone's life."

Inspired by God and
persons like the late Olive Lewin, the Rev Oliver Daley and the Rev
Ashley Smith, Cowans' closing words were to those disabled, full of
potential and undaunted.

"You are a human being first.
Allow nobody to define you by your disability, the first person you can
work on is yourself ... many people have a lot more disabilities that
just don't show ... . Many around me know I'm not a 'one-hand man', I am
a man who was born without a right hand ... . Don't focus on the things
you can't do but on the things you can
do."

Photos by Tamara Bailey