KINGSLEY Thomas, head of the Office of National Reconstruction (ONR), said on the weekend it was critical for Jamaica to arrest the decline of its young men in order to achieve lasting development.

“Jamaica must embrace the development of young men if we are to achieve and overcome. We must pull them back,” he told the 2007 graduation ceremony of the University of Technology (UTech) at the National Arena in Kingston.

Thomas was one of two men conferred with honorary degrees for outstanding service in their respective fields of endeavour.

At the same time, Thomas spoke to the worsening issue of the gender imbalance at local tertiary institutions, and particularly at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus, where the ratio of females to males was recently reported at eight to two.

He noted that missing from the discussion on the issue was the relevance of programmes being taught at such institutions to a rapidly developing and modern society.

“For the country to succeed economically and socially, the education system must be structured not only by the dictates of the past era but with a set of skills needed for the future,” he told his audience.

Thomas, who received the doctor of Laws (LL D) Honoris Causa, added that opportunity structures must be made available to youths to allow for their contribution to the island’s development. Expressing gratitude for the honorary degree, he reminded youngsters, particularly young men, that it was still “cool” to achieve academically.

Thomas, a former director of the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), was involved in the conceptualisation and administration of such projects as Highway 2000, Harmony Cove in Trelawny, and Emancipation Park in New Kingston. “I dedicate this honorary degree to every young Jamaican and particularly the young men. It is still cool to achieve academically and to serve unreservedly.”

The second man to be conferred with and honorary degree was Dr Robert Gallo, director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Gallo, who was to receive the doctor of science (DSc) Honoris Causa, was however, unable to attend due to the illness of his son.

It was Gallo who in 1980, along with other scientists, discovered the first human retrovirus (HTLV-1), and showed it to be a cause of a particular form of human leukemia. It was the first and to date the only known human leukemia virus and one of few known viruses to cause a human cancer.

In 1981, Gallo and his group discovered the second known human retrovirus (HTLV-2). They also independently identified HIV – the third known human retrovirus and provided the first body of evidence establishing HIV as the cause of AIDS.

Yesterday’s more than two-hour-long graduation ceremony, saw some 1,700 students awarded degrees, diplomas and certificates from five faculties, including the Faculty of the Built Environment, the Faculty of Business & Management, Faculty of Education & Liberal Studies, the Faculty of Engineering & Computing and the Faculty of Health & Applied Science.