Keva M. Bethel Lecture: Glinton-Meicholas identifies crises, urges renewal
From bahamaislandsinfo
NASSAU, Bahamas — In a profound assertion that challenged citizens to look past the mere trappings of emancipation and independence, well known writer and cultural advocate Mrs. Patricia Glinton-Meicholas asserted recently that The Bahamas is neither truly free nor independent, providing a critical assessment of economic, educational and social evolutions.
She was the guest presenter at the Keva M. Bethel Distinguished Lecture held recently at the Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre and presented by Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) Limited and The College of The Bahamas.
Before a packed audience, Mrs. Glinton-Meicholas said a “crisis of our times” calls for systemic examination in order to assess how we see ourselves, our purpose, how we view others and the degree to which we can act in concert.
“Our age-old economic philosophy is illustrative of the prime challenge to a truer independence. It is a near-sighted vision posited almost exclusively on providing jobs based on the largesse of foreign investors, which can be withdrawn on a whim, when efforts to build greater economic competence by increasing Bahamian investment and ownership should be commensurate and coterminous. It is perplexing that, forty years after our putative independence, the majority is still dispossessed as regards the ratio of ownership of the Bahamian economy,” she said.
She also bemoaned an education system that produces students who are incapable of reading beyond the most basic levels of comprehension, performing simple arithmetic, writing a coherent paragraph or filling an application for employment successfully.
In her presentation entitled: “A Modest Proposal Towards A Truer Emancipation and Truer Independence”, Mrs. Glinton-Meicholas offered recommendations for national development and social advancement. They included the passage and enforcement of an Environmental Protection Act and setting aside more nature reserves; the provision of training programmes for new parliamentarians to familiarize them with the Constitution; and the promotion of greater Bahamian ownership in the principal areas of the economy through the extension of incentives to qualified entities and individuals. She also called for regular recertification of educators from the pre-school to the high school level and participatory and transparent leadership and planning.
“Now is the time to act; our tide is at the flood. Despite the collapse of many of the comfortable traditions and practices upon which we once depended, never before in our history have we experienced a time more pregnant with opportunity. Never before has the possibility of profound personal, societal, and global renewal been more real,” she said.
Highly regarded for her frankness in identifying inadequacies and opportunities for growth, Mrs. Glinton-Meicholas is the second guest to present at the Keva M. Bethel Distinguished Lecture, held each year in honour of a beloved educational visionary and patriot. Dr. Bethel was the first female Principal of The College of The Bahamas and its first President.
College President Dr. Betsy Boze paid homage to Dr. Bethel’s enduring impact on The College and the wider society.
“She transformed higher education and our pathway to university, which is not only in progress, but inevitable, was largely paved by the work that Dr. Bethel did here at The College of The Bahamas,” Dr. Boze said.
Ms. Tangela Albury, Executive Leadership Committee Member and Chief of Compliance and Internal Audit Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) Limited explained that the bank was compelled to support the Keva M. Bethel Distinguished Lecture.
“When the opportunity arose to support the memory of a veteran educator, Dr. Keva Bethel, we did not hesitate to provide full sponsorship for the event and provide all the necessary support to Ms. Nicolette Bethel and Mr. Ed Bethel in driving their vision,” she said.
Photo 1: Mrs. Patricia Glinton-Meicholas, writer and cultural advocate, addresses the Keva M. Bethel Distinguished Lecture on ‘A Modest Proposal Towards a Truer Emancipation and Truer Independence.’
Photo 2: From Left: Mr. Alfred Sears, College Council Chairman; Mr. Anwer J. Sunderji, Chairman , Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) Limited; Dr. Gail Saunders, Scholar in Residence, The College of The Bahamas; Mr. Edward Bethel, Dr. Bethel’s son and Director of Distance Learning, The College of The Bahamas; Mrs. Patricia Glinton-Meicholas, Distinguished Lecturer; Dr. Nicolette Bethel, Dr. Bethel’s daughter and Assistant Professor School of Social Sciences; Dr. Betsy Vogel-Boze, College President and Ms. Tangela N. Albury, Executive Leadership Committee Member and Chief of Compliance and Internal Audit, Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) Limited.
Photo 3: Ms. Tangela N. Albury, Executive Leadership Committee Member and Chief of Compliance and Internal Audit, Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) Limited addresses the audience.
For more on this story go to:
