Students who lack interest in knowledge

This disdain for knowledge is rampantly evident. We visited UWI this week for the launch of the current issue of Jamaica Journal, in recognition of the National Heritage Trust's 50th Anniversary. To honour the preservation of important aspects of Jamaica's memory, JJ partnered with the JNHT to produce an issue that is broad in its scrutiny of heritage in this country. They didn't miss the mark. There are rich pieces on various aspects of Jamaica's heritage from thoughtful contributors such as Verene Shepherd, James Parrent and Ainsley Henriques. At the launch we heard historian, Professor Rupert Lewis talk about the growth of postcolonial traditions and the JNHT's role in preserving such. In his usual wide ranging way, Prof. Lewis outlined the key threads of heritage thought in this celebrated issue of JJ, often offering his own keen insights. What bothered us though, was the paucity of students at this rich gathering of minds. The intellectual curiosity one expects to find on a university campus is largely absent at Mona judging by the turnout at events like these. It's a sad trend we have noticed in the past few years attending lectures there. Attendees are usually other faculty and people from outside the campus. The more awful impact of this disdain for knowledge is that is rampantly evident in our interviews of the graduates.