Courtesy Overtime Media
No, this isn’t another history class where you memorise dates and hope for the best.
Starting this September, every new student entering The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) will have to complete a brand-new foundation course in the History and Culture of Trinidad and Tobago before graduating.
The goal? Helping young people understand the country —and themselves— before stepping into the working world.
“We are, quite deliberately, teaching our students who they are: their identity, their DNA, the long and layered inheritance that shaped them before they ever set foot in a UTT classroom,” said Assistant Vice President of Undergraduate Education Dr Solange Kelly at the launch last week.
Forget boring lectures.
Kelly says the course is built around conversations, not cramming.
“This course will not be delivered as a recitation of dates and events,” Professor Kelly added. “It will be built on discussion… Because the most unstoppable people on this earth are a people who know who they are.”
Acting UTT President, Professor Rean Maharaj said the move is about creating graduates who understand more than just their profession:
“Our responsibility is not simply to produce engineers, teachers, pilots, maritime professionals, scientists, entrepreneurs or artists. Our responsibility is to produce graduates who understand Trinidad and Tobago: its history, its diversity, its achievements, its challenges and its aspirations.”
Executive Chairman, Professor Selwyn Cudjoe believes that this ideal is what being truly educated is all about. He said:
“We contend that one cannot define himself or herself as an educated Trinbagonian unless one knows something about the history and culture of Trinidad and Tobago.”
The course explores the people, events, traditions and cultural movements that shaped Trinidad and Tobago, while encouraging students to think critically about identity, leadership and the country’s future. It was developed by Dr Shaheeda Hosein, Dr Kela Francis and Dr Melisse Thomas-Bailey Ellis as part of UTT’s effort to strengthen the university experience for future generations.
Bottom line?
UTT wants its graduates to leave campus with more than a qualification.
The university wants them to leave knowing exactly who they are, where they come from and why that matters.
