Girls’ High School lecture series a breath of fresh air

Tue, Aug 10, 2010

The Girls’ High School is about one third way through the lecture series it is holding as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations.{{more}}

The 100th Anniversary Celebrations Committee, and in particular the organizing committee of the lecture series, lead by Laura Anthony-Browne, should be commended for their innovation and hard work.

The lectures are a breath of fresh air in an environment which seems to be saturated with information and discourse not necessarily meant to uplift or edify.

Usually, when activities are planned to mark milestones achieved by institutions and organizations here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the activities are usually limited to dinners, church services and awards ceremonies. Including the lecture series on the calendar of activities appropriately adds an educational dimension to the celebrations of this outstanding academic institution.

The committee should also be commended for bringing the lectures live on television and radio, making them accessible to the many people of our country who may not be able to attend.

So far, four lectures have been held, with nine more to come; the last one has been planned to coincide with the climax of the school’s centenary celebrations in May 2011.

The lecturers and the lecture topics have obviously been chosen with great thought, and span the entire spectrum in terms of age groups and interests respectively.

Last Friday evening, Professor Rhoda Reddock of the University of the West Indies made a presentation on “Gender and Achievement in Higher Education” to an appreciative audience at Frenches House.

It is often said that Vincentians do not turn out to lectures, especially when held on a Friday evening, but the attendance at last Friday’s event certainly challenged that widely held belief. Certainly, the fact that Professor Reddock is as distinguished as she is, the wide interest in the topic chosen, and the promotion of the event in the media all helped.

The topics of “male underachievement” and the perception that women are getting ahead of men have been frequently discussed over the last decade or so, but Professor Reddock brought scholarly insight to the debate and asked questions which took the discussion beyond: “too many female teachers in the school” and “too few male role models in the home.”

The promotional material put out by the GHS indicates that there is much more intellectually stimulating discussion to come in the next few months. The topics include: Preparing our Citizens for Tomorrow’s Challenges: the Role of the GHS; Challenges to Faith and Spirituality in a High Tech World; Health Care Trends in a Modern Society; Challenges to Economic Development and Growth in a new OECS; Women in Government and Politics; Global Economic and Financial Crisis and a Small Economy; Careers for the 21st Century; The Universe is Your Classroom – New Technology and Education; Education Excellence for Today’s Development Challenges.

We look forward to the next nine months and wish the Girls’ High School very best wishes for their celebrations.