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The 'Socrates' of Naparima
BY SHARON ALI AZIZ
AT 93, Dr Allan I McKenzie remains as sharp and uncompromising as ever.
He's revered as the longserving principal of Naparima (Boys) College, where he transformed a declining institution into the number one school of choice in South Trinidad and among the top schools in the nation.
Having arrived at the JC Mac Donald Presbyterian Home for the Aged last week, I found him in the company of long-graduated students who were still sitting at his feet, sipping from his cup of wisdom despite their own illustrious careers and titles.
His audience: Professor of Practice Winston Dookeran, cardiologist Dr Rasheed Rahaman, Ramdath Balkissoon (former vice-principal) and Justice Anthony Lucky (who only attended the school for two days).
His words were a blend of stern critique and measured guidance for a nation contending with politics, corruption and crime. He commands authority in his views and hold his audience as Socrates held his students captive to his every word.
Justice Lucky remarked that McKenzie has an 'agile mind even at 93', while the alumni recalled assemblies where his words set the tone for the week.
Balkissoon hailed him as 'the most outstanding and successful principal ever in Naparima' .
He is however remembered by generations of graduates not only as a disciplinarian but as a visionary leader who could rouse a school to unity.
For his decades of service, McKenzie received the Public Service Medal of Merit (Gold), though some argue he deserves the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
He declined a post as senior lecturer at The University of the West Indies (The UWI) in order to remain principal of Naparima, a sacrifice Balkissoon describes as 'the greatest honour he could have given the school.'
The alumni remember him not only for his discipline- signalled by the echo of the crack of his whip on his pants-but for his assemblies, graduation speeches, and insistence that students strive for excellence.
Rahaman, who graduated in 1962, has maintained a lifelong friendship with him, benefiting from his insights on politics and education.
To his students and colleagues, McKenzie remains 'a transformational principal'. His life, from his rural childhood to his years as principal, embodies the link between education and nation- building.
Dookeran, who served as acting prime minister, governor of the Central Bank, and several ministerial portfolios, was his mentee, having him as an English teacher and form teacher.
His influence has shaped generations of leaders, but today, McKenzie is preoccupied not with the past but with the current ails of T&T.
The importance of reading
McKenzie's father was a principal at a Presbyterian primary school, and young Allan was steeped in his library of books from an early age.
In the loneliness of the countryside, he devoured works far beyond his years: the speeches of Edmund Burke, Patrick Henry, and great orators who sharpened his vocabulary and confidence.
'A person who doesn't read is highly limited,' he declared. Reading, to him, was the foundation of leadership and the wellspring of wisdom. Seeing the influence it had on his father, he sought to emulate him.
That passion carried him to Naparima College as one of only 27 students nationwide to win free secondary education in his year.
There, he encountered Canadian missionaries who modelled devotion, discipline, and service, 'some of these missionaries in the areas where they go, the roads are not good, so they would ride on horseback to go and meet the people'.
Their example left a mark. 'They helped to build,' he recalled, and from them, he learned that education was not just about knowledge but about service to humanity.
McKenzie's philosophy was shaped by the belief that education must serve the nation, not mimic foreign systems. He critiqued curricula imported from Britain, which left students learning for Cambridge examinations rather than for their country's needs.
'A curriculum must be derivative from a study of the country,' he insisted. Education should prepare students for meaningful work that brings both happiness and national development.
McKenzie's innovations extended beyond Naparima College. As chairman of the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of T&T (COSTAATT), he spearheaded accreditation, oversaw growth, and established the Ken Gordon School of Journalism in 2012. Journalism, he argued, was a profession that could shape the nation's development by informing citizens.
His career also included service as chairman of the Express Children's Fund and the JC McDonald Presbyterian Home for the Aged; the latter he served for three decades.
A culture of corruption
When asked what Independence means today compared to when he first became principal, McKenzie did not hesitate.
He recalled the early days when Dr Eric Williams was hailed as 'the father of the nation' and citizens were guided by a paternal sense of leadership.
'Politics and the practice of politics has deteriorated badly into people seeking a lot of selfish aims and not at all thinking about how to go about building a nation,' he said.
He is unsparing in his assessment: 'The country in its formative years has always suffered from the plague of corruption of people and politics. There has been mismanagement all the time of the taxpayers' money and how it is spent.'
To him, the issue is no longer one of perception but of a culture of corruption that persists although the country has a structure with some transparency.
His dismay is heightened by what he views as the reliance of governments on states of emergency to compensate for weak leadership.
'A government that needs a state of emergency to run the country is a weak government,' he declared, as the country seems to be going into this state from one government to the next.
His view is that leadership should be grounded in integrity and sacrifice, inspiring people to follow willingly rather than through coercive measures.
If corruption has crippled governance, crime has eroded citizens' trust in safety itself.
McKenzie draws a direct line between the two: 'Those who are supposed to solve the problem of crime are involved with corruption and crime. Until that is handled, we will not be able to solve the problem of crime.'
He points to the paradox of heavily funded security forces and yet escalating criminality.
'We have an army, we have a police force, we have Coast Guard. Yet every day, individuals come in with drugs and ammunition.'
The result is a society where women are 'under siege', children cannot walk home from school safely, and ordinary citizens live in what he calls 'a small-island prison... a prison without walls'.
National destiny
McKenzie has never been one to mince words. His life's work has been education, but his eyes remain fixed on the horizon of national destiny.
His faith in education, culture, and the potential of young leaders remains unshaken. The Socrates of Naparima valiantly faces his uncompromising demand for answersand speaks without fear.
In the end, McKenzie's story is not only about Naparima College but about T&T itself.
His career illustrates how a rounded education can shape citizens, unite a people, and how leadership grounded in sacrifice can guide a nation. His method, like Socrates, has always been to question, to disturb complacency, and to demand integrity.
He remains devoted to this country as he is still to his deceased wife, Sita (nee Shrikissoon), 'the wind beneath his wings', as Justice Lucky pointed out.
As the country marks another Independence Day, McKenzie's words ring as both warning and inspiration. For him, Independence is not a static achievement but an ongoing struggle, one that requires loyalty, courage, and wisdom.
You can read more from Dr Allan I McKenzie in your Sunday Express on August 31; or see podcasts and interviews at https:// trinidadexpress.com/ indep2025/.
DISTINGUISHED COMPANY: Justice Anthony Lucky, from left, Dr Rasheed Rahaman, Joan Awardy (vice-chairman, JC Mac Donald Home for the Aged), Ramdath Balkissoon (former principal, Naparima College), Professor of Practice Winston Dookeran, and Dr Allan McKenzie (seated).
STILL DEVOTED: Sita McKenzie (deceased wife).
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