UG needs to emphasize History and Anthropology

Sep 24, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I am an 18 year old aspiring Anthropologist with a focus on Culture and Linguistics. However, I am currently a second year Communication major at the University of Guyana. U.G. is the country’s premiere tertiary institution and even after more than half a century of work we still have a long way to go. The country has a small percentage of people who actually attend the University and that may be the reason why politicians and “those in position” turn a blind eye to many of the issues we face there.
If I want to attend U.G. what exactly am I guaranteed after my two or four years stay there apart from a Certificate? I am not guaranteed a job for sure. U.G. has a set list of programs that they offer, and it is not a very diverse list and it is not a much “updated” list (in my humble opinion) Due to the unavailability of certain information and dissonance in the various numbers being posted I cannot give a definite number of programs but what I can say is that every year hundreds of people graduate with degrees in certain popular areas and now that I want to study a course that I deem as relevant to my country as it is to me, I am not allowed to because UG does not offer it (as yet).
So I am now left to choose a degree from the small list of programs to study because I want to have a Bachelor’s Degree and make myself more merchandisable on the job market. Chances are there are hundreds of people with the same degree that I am pursuing and about 200 more currently reading for the same degree (1st year to 4th year) so what exactly will happen after graduation?
The issue here is not that I want to be a spoiled child and have my own way by being afforded the opportunity to gain a recognised Undergraduate and Post Graduate Degree in Anthropology but the issue here lies in the lack of diversity of programs, low work ethic of some lecturers, and limited lecturers to teach the current (much less new programs).
U.G. should be setting precedence and while I am aware that U.G can only do so much I am still of the belief that Anthropology and History need to have more emphasis placed on it. If I recall correctly, a year ago the History Degree program was in jeopardy and faced being dropped. However how can we want to progress as a country if we leave our past out of our academic arena? In order to progress, we must put our past into account and understand where we came from before we can even begin to fathom where we are going.
I am quite aware that in most universities, if there isn’t a quantity of students pursuing a said major, then the university has all right to drop that major. However, I think we need to rectify this by starting within the schools (i.e. Primary and Secondary School). The issue goes way back to our education system and the fact that we are taught History in a “boring fashion”. While history can be boring, teachers need to at least try to make the subject fun and have a more practical “hands on” approach to it. When we look at Western films we see that students who do history get to visit museums and historic sites, and it is my belief that if we do take that approach from them, then maybe a few more students might take a bit more interest in the “book and pen” subject.
I remember in my first year in High School I did Guyanese History and we had to make maps and various models that highlighted certain aspects of our history and those were some very rewarding memories I had. From then to now history became a dreary “take me sleep” kind of subject but because of my personal reasons I still hold on to my interest in the field because I understand its importance. History and Anthropology are important because it helps us to understand the society we live in, it helps us to understand “Change”, it provides a sense of identity, it preserves us and it helps us to understand where we came from.
In the current system, they are teaching our young people that we all need to become doctors, lawyers, businessmen and economists. The entire streaming logic encourages our society to take up the belief that those are the only reputable jobs out there and parents and teachers now pressure students into wanting to be in one of those fields. As a result of this logic we now have many doctors and lawyers who are underpaid and businesses that are struggling because of the surplus of supply in those areas. High schools should encourage people to consider other fields like journalism (which I feel is extremely important), film making, teaching, nutrition and body management, food preparation and of course History and Anthropology, etc.
I think if we invest more from an early age in these pertinent areas then by the time our young people become of age for university then they might be able to invest more and ultimately study History and or Anthropology.
What might also be impactful is if H.E. President David A. Granger speaks to the importance of the field. As a History graduate from the University of Guyana and as a Historian himself, I think his words would have some weight if he is to speak to the issue or even address the issue through the education system.
UG Student -2nd Year

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