Senator Challenges Focus on Academic Qualifications in Budget Debate
Senator Pearl Quinn-Williams took to the Senate floor during the 2025 Budget debate to argue that academic degrees should not be the ultimate measure of competence in public service.
She passionately defended her own lack of a university degree, highlighting the importance of integrity and practical knowledge over formal qualifications.
“I don’t need an academic degree to serve effectively,” Quinn-Williams said. “The Lord has granted me wisdom, and I seek knowledge daily. I value a degree of integrity far more than an academic one.”
The senator’s remarks came as she applauded government efforts to expand educational access but warned that degrees alone do not guarantee societal equity or efficient governance.
“If having degrees equated to good governance, this country wouldn’t be facing so many challenges despite the numerous degree holders,” she contended.
Quinn-Williams also pushed back against what she described as excessive emphasis on academic credentials, citing examples of influential leaders who succeeded without university qualifications.
“Some of the most transformational leaders this country has known had no degrees, but they possessed love for the people and unimpeachable integrity,” she added.
Her statements sparked responses from other senators, with some expressing concern about her suggestion that certain degrees may have been obtained dishonestly.
Senate President intervened, cautioning Quinn-Williams against making unsubstantiated claims and urging her to focus on evidence-based arguments.
“Implying improper practices without facts undermines the integrity of this honorable house,” the President stated.
Quinn-Williams later withdrew the contentious remarks but maintained her position on the value of ethical leadership.
“Until we prioritize the highest degree of integrity as the most important qualification, we will continue to face issues of cacistocracy and kleptocracy,” she said.
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The cover picture says it all – After her performance today she may want to reconsider and go to school. Its not good to be so dunce
How many engineers public works have that will tell you their hands are tied!. It’s not just about degrees. How many degrees VC had?
@Not Just.. At his time VC was considered highly educated. Unlike Quinn VC and many of his time did not have the opportunities (eg free scholarships, no need to travel overseas….) we now have. Times have changed.. Speak to persons, who have degrees and they will tell you, its the ignorant heads like Quinn keeping back progress due to their inferiority complex, especially in the civil service. UPP when in office, argued due to lacking tertiary degrees, civil servants lacked competence. Quinn made a fool of herself yesterday, where the speaker had to state she needs to work on her debating skills
I would like to congratulate Quinn -Williams for calling out the government.
Hear hear well done lady at last some one has the guts to call a spade a spade…
call a spade a spade and let Pringle know that he EMPTYHEAD, CAN’T READ, CAN’T SPEAK, LACK OF COMMON SENSE LITTLE BLACK BOY BAXIDE needs to go back to school!!!
https://antiguanewsroom.com/strategic-group-formed-to-support-jamal-pringle-but-efforts-falter-due-to-non-attendance/
Half of her lame presentation was repeating the phrase “bovine scatology” like she was in a trance. She was soooo proud of herself and even claimed she single handedly defeated CCJ so she is the best. SMH. If you thought the Senate would make up for the UPPs second year of blowing the budget in the lower house you were very wrong!
She is correct
She a mash some a them corn
Some a them just wash them foot n come
Them bias
the only smaddy corn she mash DEAD DARG PICK-UP-CORN EMPTYHEAD PRINGLE!!!!
CA-CA-CA-CA-PASSY-TAH
When Quinn-Williams could be heard repeating and embracing the dunce stance of the likes of Jamal Pringle, then you know that she really needs a much higher level of educational competemce than she currently possesses. She that is a fool, and knows not that she knows not that she is a fool, is the most pathetic fool of all.
She did say foots one day on National radio and wants to boast about ignorance and lack of knowledge instead of humility she presents with more arrogance and pamsiousness of a donkey her stubbornness and diminished capacity speaks to her peers across the board and so not having any advance tertiary education will be continous embarrassment when she open her mouth to make a point the political landscape has changed from the old days one has to be equipped and lettered to take the political stage if y9u want that respect colleagues from other countries will see you as not being informed or lack the capacity and dynamics to say anything and so with time she will know that having a big mouth and an ostentatious personality is a disqualification to represent the people
Only those who have experienced the rigor of tertiary education that leads to degrees will understand that it’s not about just the degree. Mrs Quinn-Williams, it is about how a person’s thought-based skills-set emerges. The ability to analyze on the fly and to understand and reason through complex subject matters coupled with the capacity to produce new ways of seeing, that result from the process of degree level engagement. If, Mrs. Quinn-Williams, you had that experience you wouldn’t make the blunder that so many make: that a degree makes the leader; rather the leader gets processed through the process of earning the degree. Having tertiary education doesn’t make you able to produce by word-repetition, rather it helps you to use the word in such a way that when you use it people will understand what the word means without have to go check a dictionary. That capacity, my dear Mrs Quinn-Williams is what you and Pringle and Serpent and the others lack. Shuggy might have studied but he lacks the capacity to intelligently articulate around certain issues (so you see Shuggy is an example of a person who might have a degree but didn’t benefit from the rigor of that level of study. You go figure why). By contrast observe the Lamin that was with the Lamin who has been enduring the rigor of degree gaining work. You and the others, Mrs Quinn-Williams, who don’t have the experience, diminish substantially your future prospects. Blessings Enough.
I am trying my hardest to follow new Sen. Pearl Quinn-Williams’ line of argument. Is she suggesting that her sister who is the first woman elected to serve in the lower house did not need a degree to be a competent Minister of Education? The majority of her siblings have pursued tertiary education. Even her last sibling is now in the process of pursuing a higher level of education. Is she suggesting that they wasted their time doing so?
Applauding your fellow Antiguans for the attainment of degrees, yet in the same breath, suggesting that they might neve done so dishonorably is disappointing.
Granted that in the past, when the world was still not so advanced, one could get by without having a degree, yet posess the capacity to be a critical thinker.
We have one such, the father of our nation, The Right Honorable Sir Dr. Vere Cornwall Bird. He had many years of life experience in the struggle coupled with his formal training which could amount to an associate degree in Theology and political negotiations.
You see, in this era, negotiators have the ability to research your credentials before meeting with you. When they do, they can strategize how to finagle their way around the discourse. You would have to travel to represent your government on many matters. They will silently ridicule you.
Tha fact that you had to spend so much of your time defending not having tertiary education whilst simultaneously diminishing many who do, by whatever means (according to your subsequent withdrawn statement), shows that you have the desire to have a degree, but believe you’re too advanced in age to humble yourself to attain the same.
My cousin, Pearl, once there’s life, there’s hope. If you intend to continue along the political journey of service to your nation, I admonish you to seek at minimum, a first degree, as is can aid in your effectiveness as a public servant.
It would be to your detriment if (one day in the distant future), you’re chosen to be appointed as a minister of government, while many of your subordinates are tertiary trained, and have no choice but to liase with you knowing your inadequacies. There will be room for chaos.
The opportunity to attain a tertiary education is now at your doorstep. I implore you to take advantage of it, as you’re a talented person with the gift of gab, otherwise.
Believe me, you’re just beginning in the senate, but the discourse is not going to get easier during your tenure in the Upper House. They will dissect you into many pieces with ridicule.
Pearl, fighting the CCJ and keeping people including your own niece from aspiring to more senior positions in law, is not an accomplishment.
Paul constantly talks about being anti- monarchy but at the same time y’all are Pro- Privy Council?
A mind that benefitted from tertiary education would stand a chance to reason better.
You mentioned “foots” and even believed fake videos of people committing crimes while riding horses. The cohosts on the radio show had to tell you the footage wasn’t of Antigua.
You are an idiot, Pearl. An idiot through and through.
If you want to find dunce in high place check immigration management team. The one for Cutie is the Queen of dunce.
This comment by Pearl is a clear indication that she is dunce! Little dunce pearl go to school and learn. No body gonna follow your dunce self.
If you were humble I would not mind, but Jah knows how you ARROGANT with your emptyheadedness.
GO school Pearl! Dunce is not cool
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