Don1 - Math/Science at the UWI

[Islandman]

I wonder what ever happened to Professor Garth Baker. I was at UWI, attempting a few maths courses when he was there and was fortunate to take a few of his classes.

He was easily one of the most influential teachers/lecturers I had in my entire school career. Brilliant guy with a refreshing teaching style.

He definately ruffled a lot of feathers in the dept, and had strong but well thought out opinions on everything from how maths was being taught at the university, to politics in Jamaica to religion, and he made his students know his views.

[Muadib]

Yup.. thats the ticket.. UWI.. no problem mon..

LOL !

[Don1]

This is one of the key
to Ja's problem:" UWI's output also reflects a backward private sector mostly interested in trading and margin gathering rather than investing in areas demanding technically skilled labour. UTECH graduates cover most of their technical needs."

We then ask who controls most of ja's wealth? The plantocracy ofcourse. They have long shifted from the agricultural sector to the service sector
(Tourism comes to mind) with same archaic sugar mentality.

Ja is doomed, when the info age reaches its peak.

Good talk boss.

the more things change.. the more they remain the same.

[Muadib]

I wonder what ever happened to Professor Garth Baker. I was at UWI, attempting a few maths courses when he was there and was fortunate to take a few of his classes.

He was easily one of the most influential teachers/lecturers I had in my entire school career. Brilliant guy with a refreshing teaching style.

He definately ruffled a lot of feathers in the dept, and had strong but well thought out opinions on everything from how maths was being taught at the university, to politics in Jamaica to religion, and he made his students know his views.

The same thing that happens to Jamaicans that have anything relevant to offer.. they end up in relevant places.. of course AFTER cutting some cane at the Plantation.. sorry Nation Building Institute

http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/PEEPS/baker_gartha.html

LOL !

[Mosiah]

The web address is noted. Another good school!

[Islandman]

Thanks!

Sad to say I tend to agree with you somewhat. I remember well the resistance he got from the dinosaurs who ran the dept, who were teaching the same unchanged curriculum year after year.

[Rudi]

The web address is noted. Another good school!

Munro, or Cornel?

[Lazie]

I wonder what ever happened to Professor Garth Baker. I was at UWI, attempting a few maths courses when he was there and was fortunate to take a few of his classes.

He was easily one of the most influential teachers/lecturers I had in my entire school career. Brilliant guy with a refreshing teaching style.

He definately ruffled a lot of feathers in the dept, and had strong but well thought out opinions on everything from how maths was being taught at the university, to politics in Jamaica to religion, and he made his students know his views.

I knew the name sounded familiar.

"The assessment by Garth Baker should be made required reading for every person of leadership at the Mona Campus. Hopefully on reading the Baker assessment, most of the senior staff would be so shocked and so ashamed that it would move them towards affirmative action in making the University the grand place it was meant to be." (Mark Wignall http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...KWARDNESS_.asp).

[Willi]

Innovation...stifled...again!

Uwi has NEVER lived up to its potential.


Bureacrat shop. Too many "arrived" people who get into their comfort zone and stayed there. Bog marley and 3rd World used to sing bout them..."Dressed in silk and drinking wine". "Brainwash education, to make us the fool..."

[Don1]

Innovation...stifled...again!

Uwi has NEVER lived up to its potential.


Bureacrat shop. Too many "arrived" people who get into their comfort zone and stayed there. Bog marley and 3rd World used to sing bout them..."Dressed in silk and drinking wine". "Brainwash education, to make us the fool..."

I'd love to know how UWI can be fundamentally different from Jamaica when it is a public Jamaican institution, funded? by Jamaicans, run by Jamaicans and attended by Jamaicans.

It's very short sighted (but easy and apparently feel-good) to focus solely on UWI as the source of problems when the real root of the problem is myopic government policy and a backward private sector.

I agree that UWI is deficient but the institution has neither the autonomy nor especially the resources to address most of its basic structural problems.

Questions to ask:

What is Govt policy for higher education?
If they have one does it even make sense for the 21st century?
Have funds been made available historically and projected into the future to adequately achieve those goals?
Does the private sector adequately support higher education?
Do they welcome partnerships with or fund research to be performed by academics as done in other countries?

When Jamaica has provided satisfactory answers to those very basic questions... if UWI is still deficient... they deserve all the criticisms in the world.

Until then.. such criticisms ignore the real issues..... but it does provide entertainment for some.


btw... if you can establish where Bob or Third World (essentially a JC band) were referencing UWI, where both had great support, in their lyrics.. I'd love to be educated on that.

[Willi]

You are ignoring OTHER salient points. I have already acknowleged that you are correct in pointing out the millieu that UWI finds itself in. However, you exonerate them too easily from their responsibility to lead, lobby and FORCE change.

Bob and 3rd World were singing about a TYPE of people. My contention, that I dare you to refute, is that a lot of them are to be found at UWI.

In case you think I am just a UWI basher, I actually attended the Institution for a year and enjoyed the experience. I also saw the deficiencies up close.

UWI is NOT Jakan...it is West Indian, and in my time at least (Mona campus) had an international faculty and Admin.

[Don1]

You are ignoring OTHER salient points. I have already acknowleged that you are correct in pointing out the millieu that UWI finds itself in. However, you exonerate them too easily from their responsibility to lead, lobby and FORCE change.

Bob and 3rd World were singing about a TYPE of people. My contention, that I dare you to refute, is that a lot of them are to be found at UWI.

In case you think I am just a UWI basher, I actually attended the Institution for a year and enjoyed the experience. I also saw the deficiencies up close.

UWI is NOT Jakan...it is West Indian, and in my time at least (Mona campus) had an international faculty and Admin.

I don't absolve UWI of responsibility for poor performance... I believe they can make incremental improvements from within which they are not inclined to make... for failure to make those incremental changes I fault them... that Maths Dept. problem may be one such incremental change.

However I believe that the SYSTEMIC change in UWI Mona which is required has to mirror a systemic change in society and its approach to education... UWI does not exist in a vacuum and has next to no ability to raise capital or operate independently of Jamaican government strictures.

UWI FORCE change on the people who it is dependent on?? That is just NOT possible (even if they had that mindset which they don't).

He who pays the piper calls the tune. It is for the GOJ to FORCE changes on UWI Mona... but unfortunately they have no clue how to do this and even less money with which to do it.
The problem is that to be effective, any such GOJ change on UWI has to be linked with imaginative education and industrial policy... but our politicians do not have that capacity for imagination.

Mona campus (which is what I'm speaking about) is de jure a Caribbean institution but de facto it is Jamaican. The GOJ provides about 90% of its budget... the rest comes from user fees I believe. Other Caribbean governments do not materially fund Mona. The overwhelming majority of students, faculty and admin are Jamaican.

I can state categorically that neither Third World nor Bob would saw UWI as an institution worthy of attack.... they saw the political parties as worthy of attack ... incidentally moreso the green one rather than the orange

[Muadib]

See type of people Willi talking bout:

"Opposition spokes-man on finance Dr Omar Davies thinks his team did a better job to mitigate the 1990s financial crisis in Jamaica than the current actions of US President Barack Obama and his team."

"I was marginally involved, I took most of the cursing, but the technical groundwork that we put together for the intervention in the financial sector I would contend represents a superior effort than that which is taking place now in the US," said Davies, at a public lecture at the University of Technology in Kingston, last week.

"I assert that the technical capacity to develop appropriate policy responses exist nationally, while we will be open to external support and advice from abroad, the lack of clarity and consistency of intervention in the most advanced countries should become a clear demonstration that our tendency to assume that a superior formula exists elsewhere, (is flawed)," argued Davies, who was finance minister from 1994 to 2007.

Brain drain ? What Brain drain ?

LOL !!!! WOIIEEEE !!

Is nuff Omar Davis in KEY Policy making positions in Jamaica.. UWI included...

And for every Omar yuh have bout 1000 Mosiah cheering..

LOL !

[Willi]

All I can say is that the most powerful force in the world is...

an idea whose time has come.

If you think that current funding arrangements is the be-all/ end-all, then that is the explanation for your lack of vision on this point.

Marley bun fire on all colours...he did not favour one side or the other! He knew the stench coming from both institutions and if anything would have been MORE disappointed with the orange one for pretending to be releasing the chain and using their brain.

Open you eyes man!

Understand that it is our job to fight spiritual wickedness in high and low places.

[Don1]

All I can say is that the most powerful force in the world is...

an idea whose time has come.

If you think that current funding arrangements is the be-all/ end-all, then that is the explanation for your lack of vision on this point.

Marley bun fire on all colours...he did not favour one side or the other! He knew the stench coming from both institutions and if anything would have been MORE disappointed with the orange one for pretending to be releasing the chain and using their brain.

Open you eyes man!

Understand that it is our job to fight spiritual wickedness in high and low places.

The current funding arrangement is what we have.... do you have a different formula for funding tertiary education to the level required?? Where will the money come from and how much?

It is very easy to criticise (also necessary) but the hard part is to present a viable solution. Do you have one or do you just have criticism?

Agree that Marley would be severely disappointed in Jamaica especially the PNP... since he was clearly leaning in their direction in the 1970's....and they are clearly a failure.
As to Marley being critical of UWI as an institution you are completely on the wrong track... that's a figment of your imagination... and you cannot produce any evidence to support that.

My eyes done open long time... that's why I see no solution from either party... you seem to have some hope or expectation in the current set.
You don't seem to understand that the paradigm of exchanging JLP and PNP leadership is BANKRUPT and FUTILE.... they merely take turns mismanaging and misleading the country.

Time people lift that PNP/JLP veil from their eyes... it leads nowhere.