Dear Editor,
I TOOK the time to look at the recent University of Guyana Graduation Ceremony and made some observations which are as follows:
The opening of the ceremony was about speeches and introduction of speakers, but I didn’t see any form of prayers from any religious leader to bless the convocation ceremony. It seems as if our highest institution of learning is becoming an atheistic institution of academics and graduates, but forgetting God who gives man all wisdom and knowledge. Without God we are useless; education will not help us but lead us into more moral degradation and chaos. What fascinated me was the long drawn out speeches by these professors. I am bothered why one professor had to share his entire life story and the graduates have to sit in their gowns in a very hot environment. Why so many long speeches? Why so much talking about the vice-chancellor? Nothing was spoken about the chancellor. What is the role of the chancellor? It seems to me he does nothing but is paid a very hefty sum. I still wonder why so many people are paid high salaries more than the President and does absolutely nothing. In these long academic speeches nothing is mentioned about God and moral education. At the end of the VC’S cocktail party most of the graduates are drunk and scholars. T.S Eliot, the American poet and Nobel Laureate had this to say from his verses from the Rock.
”Endless invention, endless experiment,
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;
Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word.
All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance,
All our ignorance brings us nearer to death,
But nearness to death no nearer to God .
Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
The cycles of Heaven in 20 centuries
Bring us farther from God and nearer to the Dust.”
These are profound words of truth in magnificent symbolism and classic imagery. T.S. Eliot is telling us in simple words that ”all our intellect, wisdom and knowledge lead us into ignorance away from God. I believe the University of Guyana needs a Faculty of Theology/Divinity to educate students morally, spiritually ,academically and a profound knowledge in Holy Scriptures; the teachings of Ethics, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Theology, Rhetoric, Poetry, Literature, Comparative Religion, Greek, Latin, Hebrew and some Sanskrit will produce some more efficient scholars. When we remove God from any institution of learning we remove ‘life itself in its full spiritual dimension; we are blinded from God’s Truth and divine light when he is left out from our lives.

Mahatma Gandhi had these things to say about education:
”Purity of personal life is the one indispensable condition for building up a sound education.
An education which does not teach us to discriminate between good and bad, to assimilate the one and eschew the other, is a misnomer
Real education has to draw out the best from the boys and girls to be educated. Literary education must follow the education of the hand -the one gift that distinguishes man from beast.”

Prolific words of great wisdom from this great soul.
“Education” has been derived from the Latin term “Educatum” which means the act of teaching or training. A group of educationists say that it has come from another Latin word “Educare” which means “to bring up” or “to raise”.

According to a few others, the word “Education” has originated from another Latin term “Educere” which means “to lead forth” or “to come out”. All these meanings indicate that education seeks to nourish the good qualities in man and draw out the best in every individual. Education seeks to develop the innate capacities of man.
Vivekanand: “Education is the manifestation of the divine perfection, already existing in man.”

Tagore: “The widest road leading to the solution of all our problems is education.”
Sri Aurobindo: “Education which will offer the tools whereby one can live for the divine, for the country, for oneself and for others and this must be the ideal of every school which calls itself national”.

Socrates: “Education means the bringing out of the ideas of universal validity which are latent in the mind of every man.”

Aristotle: “Education is the creation of a sound mind in a sound body. It develops man’s faculty, especially his mind, so that he may be able to enjoy the contemplation of supreme truth, goodness and beauty of which perfect happiness essentially consists.
These magnificent quotations from great men of moral and spiritual value will help us to inculcate and bring out the best in our graduates at the University of Guyana and all other academic institutions of learning in Guyana.

I was happy to see the handing out of honorary doctorates to only four persons, most of whom are extremely old. I was wondering why doctorates were not given or honorary M.A degrees to our young talented writers: singers, business men, scholars currently living in Guyana. Why so much honours to the old people? On what criteria are these honorary degrees given? I am a Poet, author, editor, literary scholar published over seven books and more to come also over three hundred publications into journals abroad and papers in Guyana. The question is: How and to whom do I submit my work to at UG to be considered for an honorary doctorate degree and many writers like myself?

I also learned from the vice-chancellor at the recent Guyana Prize for Literature Forum that UG has a printing press and will be launching a first book soon. How do Guyanese writers who struggle for publication get access to this press? Why it is not published more in the media, libraries, school phones, directories etc?

It is my sincere hope that our academics at UG can include prayers in the opening graduation ceremony. I’ll be willing to give my services pro bono.to this magnificent institution of learning. God bless you all.

Regards,
Rev. Gideon Cecil