Comunidad del pacífico en perspectiva - Volumen 2

LA COMUNIDAD DEL PAciFICO EN PERSPECTIVA I F. Orrego Viwña even to educate the young 5 • In most of the Third World countries the universities are ex– pected to fulfil certain functions. They can be ¡isted almost in this order of priority in relation to the developmeñtal needs of the societies they are to serve. They are: 1. Nation Buildings. This includes development of all natio– nal resources for the improvement oí the quality of tl:e' li– fe of the people (including human resource development). 2. Extension of the frontiers oí knowledge through research. 3. Help develop individual members of society to be critical and constructive in their thinking and make them produc– tive menibers of society. 4. Help develop individuals to cope with the demands of the rapidly changing world. 5. To maintain and further develop the cultural heritage of the society and provide an opportunity for individual mem– bers of the society to find its own identity. The universities in the Pacific Community are expected to exa· mine the societies they serve (their resources, people and their va– lues, attitudes and norms) and help transform them for the gene– ral good and welfare of all the members. The universities must be closely linked with the developmental goals and needs of the societies they serve. The days when universities operated in iso– lation from ihe basic' human needs of a given society are gone for good, even in the more technólogically-advanced nations. Know– ledge musr have a good purpose. Teaching, learning and researéh must therefore have a good purpose for the societies universities serve. With the above stated goals and objectives the universities in the region can do a lot to assist with the development processes and strategies of the island countries. In gene~al, there are three areas in which univers~ties can help. These are: GR. P. Wolff. The Ideal 01 the University, Beacon Press, 1969, p. 1. 210