As Grenada celebrated 48 years of political independence and looking ahead with anticipation towards the realization of its Golden Jubilee in the next two (2) years, the Political Leader of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) had advocated that focus on education and building human capacity are vital along with a “systematic approach” to planning for the next 50 years.
The newly-elected Congress leader, 44 year old attorney-at-law Dickon Mitchell told the NDC Heartbeat programme that the “single biggest focus has to be on human capacity, and capital building” going forward.
“And that means, going back to educating our population not just in an academic sense but on our history,” Dickon Mitchell stated, singling out “the fact you have had the PRG (People’s Revolutionary Government), the revolution which took place between 1979 and 1983, and that two (2) generations after, that period of our history has not been taught in our schools… to motivate and inspire the next generation of Grenadians that they too can take the world stage, and engage in transformative things.
“So, I think it is absolutely vital that for the next 50 years, that in fact, as a society, we plan our development, focus on human development because we are 100, 000 people (and) what we have is us,” he said.
Dickon Mitchell told the programme host: “And so, as a people, it is absolutely important that we invest in us so that we can get the type of society and the type of life that we want and it is also crucial that we maintain our independence.
“Oftentimes, we may take our freedom for granted but I think the world is replete with histories of persons being conquered and subjugated to the wills of other persons, so, it is absolutely important that particularly because we are a small nation, that we strive to continue maintaining our independence, particularly our economic independence,” he added.
Dickon Mitchell’s comments come days after the Grenada National Trust (GNT) announced the designation of February as ‘heritage month,’ with the launching of an 18-month project that is geared to create a syllabus that will be shared with schools to equip teachers with the relevant information to teach the children at early stages about their heritage.
President of the National Trust, Darryl Brathwaite, who spoke on the initiative during a NDC heartbeat programme, noted that the intention is to also “capture the intangible heritage” including “food recipes, herbal medicines, art, and culture so that there is a database of information available.”
During his national address to commemorate the 48th year of independence at the Grenada National Stadium on February 7, Prime Minister Keith Mitchell announced that his ruling New National Party (NNP) government is considering renaming several places as part of plans to honour the 50th anniversary of Independence in 2024.
According to Prime Minister Mitchell, who is currently serving his fifth term in office, the initiative was advanced by the Arley Gill-led Grenada National Reparations Committee, which proposes to “spearhead the research and make recommendations” geared to “bring monumental change to the national landscape and give greater recognition to well-deserving Grenadians.
“We also anticipate that it will also help engender an even greater feeling of national pride among Grenadians and serve as a reminder to our young people of what can be achieved through hard work and dedication,” the Grenadian leader declared.