Government slams UWI principal over fee increase

PRINCIPAL of the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Dr Bhoe Tewarie, yesterday came under heavy criticism for reneging on an agreement between the Government and the university concerning increasing tuition fees for students at the Faculty of Medical Science. Speaking at yesterday’s post-Cabinet meeting, Minister of Science Technology and Tertiary Education, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, said even the Government was taken by surprise when students staged a protest against the reported hike in fees on Wednesday, since negotiations regarding the proposed increase were still in progress. Hamid described the university’s proposed hike in fees as “unacceptable,” and gave assurances that the Government remained consistent in its promise to subsidise whatever deficits the faculty had incurred over the years.

However, he said, it was incumbent on the university to justify its request for additional funding. Hamid said the saga began on June 29, when the university submitted a proposal outlining its plan to increase the faculty’s fees. He said he met with Tewarie on June 27, informing the principal that Government was not in agreement with the university’s plans, and advised the institution to reconstruct its proposal and request increased funding from the Government instead. The university submitted its first proposal on August 15, Hamid said, but it was found to be lacking in detail and did not provide the specifics Government would need to make a proper evaluation. The university was then invited to revise the proposal, which it did, and resubmitted it on September 3. 

On September 1, Hamid said, he received a letter from Tewarie which he read to the media. In the letter, Tewarie referred to news reports of increased fees, and assured the minister that in keeping with their agreement, the fees for local students had not been increased. The letter stated that there had only been increases in fees for regional and international students, who had each received correspondence from the campus registrar informing them of the changes.

Hamid said he would raise the matter at the next meeting of the university council, since no decision had been made on the issue. While the university is not State-owned, the faculty is entirely funded by Government, and therefore something of this nature would have to be discussed and agreed on, he said. While Hamid disclosed Government’s doubts that the proposed increase could be justified, he refused to comment on the reasons given in the proposal for the increase. “The proposal is still being evaluated,” the minister concluded.