Prime Minister The Rt.Hon. Mia Mottley – 2018 (Nationnews)
Following the May 24th general elections, Barbados witnessed the swearing in of the country's first female prime minister; The Rt. Hon Mia Amor Mottley. An Attorney-at-law by profession with a longstanding career in politics and government, led her party to a tremendous victory, taking all 30 electoral seats. The Mottley led administration have found themselves with the immense responsibility of leading Barbados and its people through, what some might describe as a turbulent pathway to economic recovery and sustainability.
A couple of months have passed since the historic elections and work to enact on campaign promises has already begun. One issue on the top of the priority list was government's commitment to resume paying the tuition fees for Barbadian nationals enrolled at the University of the West Indies (UWI). In 2014, a policy to abolish the payment of UWI tuition by government was implemented. For the past four years, Barbadian nationals were required to pay tuition fees to attend any of the UWI campuses across the region. This practice was one of the measures carried out by the previous administration to treat to the fiscal deficits and balance of payments challenges.
The policy to have Barbadians pay tuition fees to attend the University of the West Indies broke a time-honoured tradition. Education has always been deemed as the ultimate pathway to prosperity, especially for a nation with little natural resources. Having a highly skilled and educated labour force has always been key to Barbados's growth and development. The move to have Barbadians attending UWI pay tuition fees immediately affected enrolment rates. For the UWI Cave Hill campus, the island’s only accredited institution, there was sharp decline in student enrolments.
From our observations, the University of the West Indies was no longer an immediate choice for Barbadians seeking to pursue higher education. In some instances, the policy resulted in persons deferring study plans while in other cases persons become more open to considering other study options outside of the region.
Prime Minister Mottley's decision to amend the policy and resume government's support of tertiary education, falls back in line with the vision that every household should have a college/university graduate. With government attending to the tuition fees for Barbadians, makes finance less of a deciding factor when considering the UWI. The goal to ensure that each household has a university graduate will once again become more achievable. While one recognises the socio-economic development implications at the micro and macro level, the question remains, "what will be the impact on student mobility?".
Over the past four years, a steady increase in Barbadians studying outside of the Caribbean has been observed, particularly in countries such as Canada. One of the main factors influencing the decision to study abroad are the opportunities available to gain practical experience during and possibly after the course of study. The cooperative education program, commonly referred to as 'co-op' programs, which allow students the opportunity to possibly gain industry experience while studying, which many Canadian institutions, offer is an attractive feature.
For Barbadians considering their higher education options going forward, when measuring potential return on investment, will the University of the West Indies be their immediate option or one of their options? It is believed that Barbadians will continue to explore their higher education options in hopes of accessing opportunities beyond their 166 square miles.
A couple of months have passed since the historic elections and work to enact on campaign promises has already begun. One issue on the top of the priority list was government's commitment to resume paying the tuition fees for Barbadian nationals enrolled at the University of the West Indies (UWI). In 2014, a policy to abolish the payment of UWI tuition by government was implemented. For the past four years, Barbadian nationals were required to pay tuition fees to attend any of the UWI campuses across the region. This practice was one of the measures carried out by the previous administration to treat to the fiscal deficits and balance of payments challenges.
The policy to have Barbadians pay tuition fees to attend the University of the West Indies broke a time-honoured tradition. Education has always been deemed as the ultimate pathway to prosperity, especially for a nation with little natural resources. Having a highly skilled and educated labour force has always been key to Barbados's growth and development. The move to have Barbadians attending UWI pay tuition fees immediately affected enrolment rates. For the UWI Cave Hill campus, the island’s only accredited institution, there was sharp decline in student enrolments.
From our observations, the University of the West Indies was no longer an immediate choice for Barbadians seeking to pursue higher education. In some instances, the policy resulted in persons deferring study plans while in other cases persons become more open to considering other study options outside of the region.
Prime Minister Mottley's decision to amend the policy and resume government's support of tertiary education, falls back in line with the vision that every household should have a college/university graduate. With government attending to the tuition fees for Barbadians, makes finance less of a deciding factor when considering the UWI. The goal to ensure that each household has a university graduate will once again become more achievable. While one recognises the socio-economic development implications at the micro and macro level, the question remains, "what will be the impact on student mobility?".
Over the past four years, a steady increase in Barbadians studying outside of the Caribbean has been observed, particularly in countries such as Canada. One of the main factors influencing the decision to study abroad are the opportunities available to gain practical experience during and possibly after the course of study. The cooperative education program, commonly referred to as 'co-op' programs, which allow students the opportunity to possibly gain industry experience while studying, which many Canadian institutions, offer is an attractive feature.
For Barbadians considering their higher education options going forward, when measuring potential return on investment, will the University of the West Indies be their immediate option or one of their options? It is believed that Barbadians will continue to explore their higher education options in hopes of accessing opportunities beyond their 166 square miles.
