Its’ official. Antigua and Barbuda is the fourth landed campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI).
UWI Vice-Chancellor, Sir Hilary Beckles told a news conference Wednesday that the Chancellor Robert Bermudez and Council of the UWI “have formally approved the establishment of a campus of the University of the West Indies in Antigua and Barbuda”
He said that the approval came “within the wider context of the country’s membership of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)”.
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne described the announcement as “a very proud moment for the government and people of Antigua”.
Sir Hilary said that the Five Islands campus will serve the development needs of Antigua and Barbuda as well as the wider OECS sub-region that includes Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts-Nevis and Montserrat.
“In addition to serving the special developmental needs of Antigua and Barbuda it will provide a hub to enable the greater participation in the development agendas of the OECS by the University of the West Indies.
“Fine public universities, such as the University of the West Indies are not designed or funded to serve themselves. Their mandate is to serve all sections of the communities that support them,” he added.
Antigua and Barbuda joins, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados where the UWI has landed campuses.
Last weekend, Prime Minister Browne, said the three campus countries which had concerns about the fourth landed campus have now been satisfied.
“You know there are three countries who had reservations, those reservations have been lifted,” he said.
The government has in the past said it would fund the university by a windfall tax on financial institutions and by diverting some funding to the prime minister’s scholarship programme.
Sir Hilary told reporters that the landed campus service had been enhanced by the digital and open presence of the Open Campus “that has since been a lifeline for thousands of citizens in underserved communities across our archipelago
“The OECS, however, has remained a part of our family that is in urgent need of the services long considered the norm in sister countries that have had the financial resources to fund landed campuses.
Sir Hilary said that while in recent years, the OECS has registered among the highest rates of economic growth across the region “the University of the West Indies has remained dissatisfied with the level of its contribution to the development of the higher education sector and professional training in that community.
“The OECS registers the lowest rates of youth tertiary education enrolment in the entire Caribbean and indeed the hemisphere. This unacceptable circumstance is reflected in some of the highest youth unemployment rates in the Caribbean”.
The Vice-Chancellor said as a result, they constitute a real threat to sustained development in the region and with UWI long concerned about the situation “welcomes this glorious moment that provides it with an opportunity for corrective action.
He recalled that in 2017, the UWI Council received a presentation by Antigua and Barbuda “calling for a 21st century fit fir purpose campus to promote national and sub regional economic and social development with a focus on the robust expansion of its social capital”.
He said the Council established a task force to conduct a feasibility study and in its report submitted in March this year “recommended the creation of a campus, designed specifically to meet the needs of Antigua and Barbuda and the OECS sub-region on the basis of projected financial feasibility.
“Critically, the government of Antigua and Barbuda, provided the task force with financial data and evidence of its policy intent, illustrating its ability to meet the financial operations of the campus,” he said, adding that the report recommended to Council, the establishment of the campus within defined guidelines outlined for program and facilities development.
Sir Hilary said that the Five Islands Campus will begin by admitting its first cohort of some 800 students in September this year, adding that the majority of those students are already registered in levels 1 and 2 of The University of the West Indies programmes currently being delivered in Antigua under a franchise agreement at the Antigua State Community College, and other tertiary Institutions.
“These students, will be invited to transition over to the Five Islands Campus. This is an historic moment in the development of the Caribbean community, in Antigua and Barbuda, the OECS, and for The University of the West Indies that is committed to serving the needs of its chartered members, and the entire region.”
Sir Hilary said that like its sister campuses, the Five Islands Campus will begin in a modest fashion, and will no doubt soar to magnificent heights in the years to come.
“It’s a future to be crafted by us all. In this regard we urge the region to embrace this youngest sibling of The UWI, in much the same way that you have developed and celebrated other campuses. This is why The UWI has become the number one ranked University in the Caribbean,’ he added.
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Thank you Lord for your blessings. I wish this 4th landed campus much continued success and blessings.
Kudos to all who worked hard to make it a reality. Generations will forever be grateful.
God bless.
Truly a wonderful and historic moment for Antigua & Barbuda. Hope all our citizens can capitalize on the Educational opportunities that this would bring. Let’s make it affordable for all.
Three cheers for the ABLP administration.
It is settled.
All who said it was not possible, the process was wrong, no consultation, etc will you please swallow your pride and embrace our university and start promoting it to all your supporters
Now that this is official, the government here must ensure that the campus is properly funded and maintained and they cannot allow it to fall into disrepair by virtue of lack of maintenance, funding or otherwise. This is no longer just government workers who will suffer but rather the reputation of the UWI. We must ensure we keep our end of the deal. We cannot afford to embarrass UWI and ourselves. This is not the Antigua State College.
Amen to that!
I am proud as an Antiguan of this development, I hope the infrastructure will be in place to make it a success. That’s one of my concerns about it. However with hard work it’s possible.
Congratulations to the people and the government of Antigua and Barbuda.
Imma going to play devil’s advocate and say this:
Somebody go and check pan Gisel and mek sure she OK. Mek sure she nah somewhere ah drown out she sorrows over a bottle of English Habour and Cavalair🤣🤣🤣🤣. Congrats to the GOAB on making this a reality.
Sorry but she doesn’t drink those cheap drinks. She drinks Courvoisier, Hennessy or Dimple
CONGRATULATIONS….NOW SERPENT , KNIGHT , JANICE ,MRS.POTTER , GISEL ISAAC AND OTHERS PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT. NEXT IS LIAT , BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA,DIGICEL AND OTHERS. THE WORLD BOSS.
Notes From A Native Son Of The Rock! Give Praise and Thanks to Vision and Strategic Thinking!
In this the International Decade for People of African Descent 2915 – 2024, We must Salute and offer
our Deep Appreciation and Congratulations to the Hon. Gaston Browne and GoAB on this Magnificent Development and Achievement!
To those whose motivations and inclinations were filled with timidity, hesitancy, wariness, apprehension, black dislocations, disorientations, decenterness and lack of agency, kindly embrace the advice of Frantz Fanon: “Come, then, comrades; it would be as well to decide at once to change our ways. We must shake off the heavy darkness in which we were plunged, and leave it behind. The new day which is already at hand must find us firm, prudent and resolute!”
Seize the Time and Space to boldly and fully develop not only solid Institutions, a Caribbean Civilization but also our own capacities in relationship to the global economy! Our OECS human condition, plans for our Caribbean Civilization and collaboration between People of African Descent and other Caribbean ethnicities in this Educational Enterprise to increase the sum total of of our humanity in an environment built on Reparatory and Restorative Justice are new challenges, opportunities and vistas which demand true Caribbean Leadership! In that we are blessed with the Scholarship of UWI Vice-Chancellor, Dr Hilary Beckles, Strategic direction of Chancellor Robert Bermudez and Governance of the Council of the UWI!
Those of us on the OECS off ramps along the Eastern Caribbean Highway have a glorious opportunity to embrace this Higher Education Journey as we travel the Archipelago, recognizing and engaging each other, meeting more and more together, and talking to each other more and more to strengthen and build a more perfect political, economic, socio-cultural, technological and legal union while building a blue and green sustainable Caribbean Civilization!
“Come, brothers, we have far too much work to do for us to play the game of rear-guard. … We have no more to fear; … What we want to do is to go forward all the time, night and day, in the company of Man, in the company of all men.” – Fanon!
Thank God for the provision of this ladder to success as opposed to the potholes of failure which others wanted to continue to dig
So after all I guess there is hope for Duncy Bat then!
Mr Pompey with Duncy Bat being a frequent blogger imagine it graduating with a degree in Mass Communication!
I wish to extend Congratulations to my Prime Minister and his Cabinet Minister for having brought this historic achievement to pass. This will be a game changer for the future of this country. similar if not even better than when Papa Bird took the bold step in changing our dependent from Sugar Cane to the Tourism Sector. At first people saw us only as maids and gardeners of the hotels. But now we can clearly see how we have progressed. Some of us are even the General Manager of the hotels. Many young Antiguans and Barbudans whose parents could not afford for them to go to college now have the chance of a lifetime. There is one hurdle that some still will have to cross. Just like the CCJ some think Universities in North America, Canada and or Europe are much better and more prestigious. I do hope the Board of Education and the PM Scholarship will change their policy and perhaps fund more students that will study at the Five Islands Campus. That is if the topic is available here at home.
Ms. Giselle Isaac, have you sent in your resignation as yet. Please update us.
Wonderful. Let’s celebrate this victory.
The look of pride on GB’s face was priceless. MichealB & Cutie as past uwi students, it was a shining moment and for once, we were all united.
Congratulations!
“Long overdue!”
Congratulations to the PM, but now the hard work begins.
As an Antiguan Im pleased and proud to see major educational progress on the island. With that being said, I will very much like to know who will be building it.
Congratulations to the People’s government for this fantastic achievement. The nation has been blessed in a special way. This really is the New Antigua. The red flag flies proudly in this great nation. The red flag I speak of is not that of a political party, but the symbol of the collective unity of the workers and labourers with their allies in all sectors, who are together building a Great Future for our youths. The red flag is an international symbol of labour and social democracy, the symbol of progressive unity. May the red flag fly proudly for many generations. This is more than a ALP/UPP/DNA thing. It was the flag of our founders. The future belongs to the People of all political stripes, under the leadership of the labouring men and women of this blessed New Antigua. Forward Ever! Backwards Never! God bless Antigua and Barbuda. What a wonderful, wonderful Day, since Jesus came our way!
WONDERFUL NEWS!!!!
“Gird your loins and join the battle”
“EACH endeavoring, ALL achieving”
a GIANT LEAP in the direction of #ECONOMIC-POWERHOUSE reality. We all should rally around this and work together to make it the best!!
Thanks to the late Father of the Nation V.C. Bird for paving the way for us.
Proud of Antigua and the accomplishment of this government and in particular Hon. Gaston Browne. You may not be diplomatic or have tack but you are an awesome leader and you get the job done! Thank you sir! Thank you also to everyone else who worked on making this a reality. Generations to come will thank you!
Mr Beckles, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.
Is this the legacy you will be leaving as you exit life from this glorious institution which, like our cricket team, is one of the few things we have to call our own?
You know that Antigua is not ready for a landed campus, yet you negotiated with its leader, who is very vainglorious and only want to say that he brought the campus to Antigua, to carry the campus there. I am very disappointed in you. Do you know that when Brown gets a new toy to boast about he will lose his desire for the university? What will you do? Take it back? By that time, I hope you would have gone off into the sunset with your tainted legacy. Even Antiguans know that the deal is wrong even if they want a university. What were you thinking? Do you know that the college there is crumbling? Will you help to raise money to fix it knowing that pensioners have a hard time getting their pension funds every month? That secondary schools are in shambles? That students see no hope of getting jobs when they leave school? Do you know that no public education was done so the people could understand what was happening to them? Do you know that some believe that the university would be free for them.
I am so ashamed of you.
So u are one of those persons who don’t want to see Antigua progress huh? Shame on Hillary? I would dare say shame on u for wishing the worst on our dear sweet little island.
Kudos to the PM and his government! Now I am not sure who pays for the administration of this campus, however I hope that financial resources are in order to maintain this institution. Sustainability is very important as we mark another milestone in our higher education system.
ANYONE WHO DO NOT SEE THE ASSETS OF THIS UNIVERSITY THEY SHOULD BE THE FIRST TO BE GIVEN SCHOLARSHIPSMTO OPEN THEIR MINDS AT THE UNIVERSITY. PROUD TO BE AN ANTIGUA. THIS IS A WONDERFUL ACHIEVEMENT BY THE ABLP ADMINISTRATION. U P P YOU SHOULD HANG UP YOUR BELTS AND LEAVE ANTIGUA TO THE ABLP.
I AM WONDERING WHY THE UPP OPERATIVES DO NOT TRAIN MR. PRINGLE TO SPEAK IN PARLIAMENT. VERY SHAMEFUL TO LISTEN TO THIS GUY.HE HAS NO FACTS,NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE TOPICS. LAST BUT NOT LEAST HE SHOULD LEARN TO SPEAK ENGLISH.THIS LOOKS VERY BAD ON THE INETERNATIONAL AND LOCAL ARENA. NEXT IN LINE L.I.A.T,SCOTIA BANK , DIGICEL and MANY OTHERS.
BY THE WAY HAS D.GISEL RESIGN AS YET? DID NOT HEAR THE SNAKEPIT ADDRESSED THIS WONDERFUL ACHIEVEMENT OF THE FOURTH LANDED CAMPUS OF THE UWI.LET US CELEBRATE THE WORLD BOSS. PROUD ANTIGUAN.
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