Remarks by The Hon. Nigel Carty, Minister of Education at the Installation of Dr. Kelvin Daly, Second President of the CFBC Sunday, September 1, 2013 Good evening to all of you. I am indeed enormously honoured to have the privilege of addressing you today, September 1, 2013, at this memorable and historic occasion. Today is indeed an historic day for the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College as we make the transition from one era to another with the passing of the baton of leadership from one president, the first President of the CFBC, to another, the second. Today’s ceremony, in all its splendor and pomp and magnificence, marks a punctuated development in the life of the college but, more importantly, it beckons the dawn of the new day on the horizon of the educational landscape of St. Kitts and Nevis, for never before have we witnessed the grandeur of an occasion quite like this one. As I sat recently and reflected on the achievements of so many of our young people in the sphere of Education, as I observe the tenacious ambitions of people from all walks of life, young boys and girls, men and women, from little-known villages in the countryside or from impoverished inner city neighbourhoods, who are intent upon using education as a vehicle to escape the clutches of cyclical poverty, I was impelled to conclude that truly our nation, St. Kitts and Nevis, is coming age. In recent years, we have seen improved completion rates to Form 5 in High School, greater participation and expanded success of our students in CXC examinations, higher levels of matriculation of our nation’s future leaders into the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College, and more professionally-minded and upward-, forward- and outward-looking Kittitians and Nevisians going off to universities in Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, the USVI, the US Mainland, Taiwan and in Europe, so many countries around the world, to prepare themselves for the building of a better St. Kitts and Nevis. I am confident that we are on the right track and that we are indeed coming of age. But there is perhaps none who puts it better than a young man who has risen to the pinnacle of the Calypso art form, and who himself was born in our National Independence year, 1983. King Konris, an alumnus of the CFBC penned these poetic words in his title-capturing song, ‘Aging Wine’ to mark the celebration of our 25th anniversary of Independence He says: “Thank God we have come from far and now we’re proudly standing tall; Praise God for giving all this strength to help to beat the odds..” He continues in the latter part of the first stanza: “So now it’s time to celebrate all our achievements, 25 years and doing weight, let’s join in this moment, Because we have grown from strength to strength And always we are striving to be better Obstacles don’t matter, We always rise higher, The proof is in our Silver. We are aging wine.” These are indeed profound words that ring even more melodiously today as we approach our 30th Anniversary of Nationhood and commemorate this milestone with a most fitting theme reminiscent of our nations truest aspirations and ideals: “Stability, Creativity and Prosperity, Independence Thirty”, And speaking of aging wine, it was just this morning as I groomed my hair, trying to give myself that spiffy appearance that an occasion like this one requires, I was given the bitter-sweet reminder that I had lived long enough to witness a significant part of the evolution and transformation of our nation’s education system. For, it was so very not long ago, the early to mid 1980’s, that only a few of my classmates at the Saddlers All-Age School, about seven of us, were privileged to move into High School at Cayon, compared to 100% of them today. Moreover, the 110 students at the CHS who wrote the CXC General and Technical proficiency examinations in 2013 represent a near 100% increase in this kind of student participation at the school, and this pattern holds for all of our Secondary Schools throughout the Federation. The Sixth Form of the Basseterre High School, the Forerunner I would say of the Arts, Sciences and General Studies Division of the CFBC, accommodated about 110 students in 1989 compared with an average of 375 students in the corresponding division of the CFBC in recent times. This represents a transformation of enormous proportions. Yet, the transformation continues. It was only a few years ago that the government of St. Kitts and Nevis embarked upon a journey that has led us to this destination today. It was our government’s view in 2008 that the time had come to transition the CFBC into a new era of development and a novel framework for its management, control and oversight. We could no longer make reference to the CFBC as our premier academic institution if we did not relinquish direct control of this institution’s development from the Ministry of Education. It was our view that our aspirations as a people who believe in the transformative power of education and the imperative of access to relevant higher education that saw the CFBC becoming in the medium to long term a fully autonomous corporate entity emerging one day as a full-fledged university, granting degrees in a variety of development-relevant fields to our nation’s brightest sons and daughters. It is my government’s vision that the CFBC will grow beyond its current borders, occupying new and expanded geographical spaces, with state of the art facilities for the training of accountants and engineers, agriculturists and education specialist. Full degree courses in Nursing Education, Early Childhood Education and Teacher Education to be offered imminently at this august institution testify to the magnitude of our vision and the depth of our commitment to responding to the imperatives for our national development. And so today, we have cleared the way. We have done the groundwork, and the CFBC stands tall as a semiautonomous institution directed by a Board of Governors and managed by a President who have demonstrated an unshakable commitment to the pursuit of the larger national goals and objectives. To my mind, there is no greater emblem in recent times of our coming of age than this significant development. It is incontrovertible that we are well on our way to building a better St. Kitts and Nevis. But let me be clear, as we reflect upon our nation’s development priorities as we approach this 30th anniversary of our national independence, the stability and prosperity of our beloved country, the achievement of the greatest ideals to which we aspire as Kittitians and Nevisians, are not secured by mere words or sweet-sounding platitudes, nor are they attained by the sheer change in structures for stylistic purposes. For if the management changes we make are not the systemic organizational changes we foresee, then all of our changing shall be in vain. We desire to create and fashion institutions that add to, and not detract from, our systems of governance and accountability. We aspire to construct frameworks in our governance arrangements that take account of every man’s and woman’s worth and right, responsibility and authority, and humanity. To do otherwise is to retrogress. If this new dispensation of the CFBC does not seek to accord to every student that enters its walls the very best education and training, protection and opportunity for self-expression that an institution of this nature can afford; if the educators at this institution pass the greater part their time in avocations and fangles that undermine morale, value, output and performance, and diminishes the integrity, worth and reputation of the institution; and, if after all the justifiable hype of a momentous presidential installation such as this one, we fail to devise effective mechanisms to hold professional people responsible for their successes and failures, and no-shows and undermining of the core values of the institution, we might as well quit this pageantry. These are the imperatives. These are the outputs that really matter for they are the ones that will help to create a better educated, more disciplined, more efficient and more entrepreneurially-inclined citizenry and a better St. Kitts and Nevis. I am assured of our movement in a positive and upward trajectory because the modus for the engagement of professionals at the CFBC going forward is one that is well-known in universities and colleges around the world. In the new CFBC, every man and woman will have to earn his keep. The days of depending on an entrenchment by entitlement, and not by performance, are fast frittering away. Friends and colleagues, part of what makes this moment so special is that this ceremony marks the first baton passing from one president to a next. Yes. This is a moment worthy of experiencing. It is analogous to the ceremony of March, 1797, passing the authority of the United States Presidency from George Washington to John Adams. This is indeed a big moment. While at Thursday’s farewell ceremony for the outgoing president, Dr. Hermia Morton Anthony, I was afforded the opportunity to utter full congratulatory remarks, I nonetheless echo the deep and voluminous sentiments of goodwill offered then. Very best wishes again, Dr. Anthony. Amidst all of this, it does not escape me that an important element of the historicity of this occasion is that our new president is a gentleman of the Nevisian soil. I certainly am filled with optimism over this singular opportunity that I have had as Minister of Education to recommend for final approval and endorsement the presidency of Dr. Kelvin Daly. Yet I know that this is an element of the equation that may in and of itself hold potential for undue distraction. The government of which I am part continues to seek opportunities for all of our people to play their part on the proverbial stage of national development and it is committed to working across the narrows to foster positive relationships for a better St. Kitts and Nevis. I am not daunted by the myopia and cynicism that sometimes visit upon us. Dr. Daly has the full support and confidence of the CFBC Board of Governors, this Minister of Education and the Government as a whole. As we prepare to install Dr Daly in the College’s highest office, we should be mindful that his presidency marks a new beginning for CFBC, and should feel assured on this important day, that Dr. Daly will steer the College in critically new directions. I am confident that he, a visionary and strategic leader, is committed to excellence in everything, from expanding the programmatic frontiers, to seeking new arenas for engagement and service. This is a mission that we all embrace, with enormous confidence and pride. The Board of Governors of the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College and the government have selected you, Dr. Kelvin Daly, as the next leader of this institution to enrich the CFBC experience and expand our College’s reach across the country, to provide a first or a second chance, and a real opportunity, to many of our nationals to forge a nobler existence. We foresee an expansion of the CFBC’s reach throughout the region and around the globe. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your accomplishments to date and assure you of the support of the Ministry of Education, as you work to position the College to reach ever higher levels of achievement and recognition. We rely on you to lead in the upholding of the pride and integrity of every office within and connecting to this institution. We expect honesty, decency and due diplomacy. This is our highest institution of learning. There are certain protocols, procedures, techniques and methods in your operations that you must get right. For, if CFBC cannot get it right, then whom else can we depend upon to be the bastion of what is civil, respectful, respectable and decorous? It is at the CFBC that we must attempt to forge the new paths that we must traverse as a nation. CFBC means everything to us: It is our MIT, Cornell, George Washington University, and our Oxford and Cambridge. This I believe is a useful perspective to take. Today, I offer you three Calls to Action: First, EMBRACE: As a community, we ask you to embrace the traditions of excellence, industry and creativity that CFBC has upheld and believes in. In return, the CFBC must commit to you to uphold the values of the CFBC community -- to seek excellence in all endeavors, to act with honesty and integrity in how we learn, how we work and conduct research, and in how we interact with others. The second call is to EMPOWER: It is a mandate to Empower the CFBC staff and students, through your leadership, with the tools, resources, and expertise to become better leaders. We aspire to build with you a community of scholars and citizens prepared to seek solutions to the pressing challenges faced by our country and the world. Lastly, we call upon you to INSPIRE: We are calling upon you, Dr. Daly, to inspire every professor, administrator, and student toward the purpose of strengthening the CFBC community. Call them to come together with a common vision and commitment to the continued success of the College. Encourage them to share their ideas and to act upon the best of them. This institution that you have been called to lead is not merely a destination, but rather the starting point of a lifelong journey for so many of our people. As we take stock today - while looking to the future - we know that there is important work ahead. Many of the problems students will be asked to tackle are as yet unnamed, unidentified and unknown. Nonetheless, the CFBC must continue to do as it has always done - prepare students for the known and the unknown through a rigorous curriculum and a rich array of problem-solving experiences both here and off-campus. Going forward, with Dr. Daly at the helm, I am confident that the College will achieve the right balance between preserving its heritage and embracing ambitious new priorities that will further engage students and faculty in real-world problems, inspire them to make important connections across disciplines and industry sectors, and get them thinking in new and agile ways about some of society’s most difficult, unsolved technical challenges. Citizens, all, out of that experience, we desire to create, we see in our bright future, young entrepreneurs, innovators, scholars, professionals and global citizens of whom we can be immensely proud. I have full faith in the robustness and relevance of this institution’s core mission, and every confidence that with the installation of President Daly, the College’s position as a regional leader in education, research and innovation, will continue our movement forward in building a better St. Kitts and Nevis for all of our people. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you this one assurance: we will create an even stronger and richer institution in the CFBC for the benefit of generations to come. This is a great day for Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College. I am grateful for the support of the Board of Governors and the staff as we embark on this new leg of the journey. We welcome you, President Daly. Thank you. -- Nigel Carty Minister of Education and Information Government of St. Kitts and Nevis Pic 1: Hon. Nigel Carty Pic 2:Dr. Kelvin Daly
Posted on: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 19:29:33 +0000
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