DEMAND FOR UWI PLACES

The 18 percent jump in the number of persons who sought entry into the St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) in 2003 — 2,394 — over that of the previous year is an indication of the increasing demand in Trinidad and Tobago and the region for university education. At this rate the demand will translate into a clear need for an increase in University staff and a physical expansion of the St Augustine Campus itself if it (the physical demand for accommodation at the University) is to be met realistically. The campus population is a far cry from the first batch of Caribbean students, who sought admission to the then University College of the West Indies, when it opened at Mona, Jamaica in 1948.
 
Since then the addition of two campuses, one at St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, and the other at Cave Hill, Barbados has brought university education, bearing in mind the question of board and lodge, within easier reach of additional thousands of the region’s young eager to move ahead. In turn, availability of education at the UWI was facilitated from the outset by subsidies from the respective Caribbean Governments. Unfortunately because of other demands on regional revenues, these subsidies have not kept pace with the increase in fees and other expenses. Nonetheless, Government funded student revolving loans in Trinidad and Tobago and/or loans made available to nationals by banks have been contributory factors re the student explosion at the various campuses.
 
Meanwhile, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago plans to open an additional university — the University of Trinidad and Tobago — in September, whose fees will be somewhat lower than those required of students pursuing courses at UWI. Of crucial importance, however, is that although the University of Trinidad and Tobago will be autonomous, as is the University of Guyana which was established in 1962, Government will remain a principal funder of UWI. This will be unlike Guyana which withdrew participation in UWI and, ipso facto, its funding when it set up an independent University. A factor, which should perhaps be written into the record, is that the university of Trinidad and Tobago, like the two other universities mentioned, will focus on the needs of the region.

A breakdown presented by Pro-Vice Chancellor and St Augustine Campus Principal, Dr Bhoe Tewarie has shown that there was a 21.4 per cent growth in undergraduate registration, a 10.8 per cent rise in postgraduate registration for an overall increase of 18 percent. What is instructive is that the 21.4 percent growth in undergraduate registration is 3.7 times the estimated 5.8 percent growth which had been projected for 2003 in the campus’ 2002-2007 strategic plan. But even though demand for student places at the St Augustine Campus should outstrip supply during the life of the campus’ 2002-2007 strategic plan, there would probably be no undue cause for concern what with distance learning, the University of Guyana and the projected University of TT.