SBCS, SAM not in contract with Govt

The signing of contracts took place yesterday at the Ambassador Hotel, Long Circular, where eight institutions — The Academy of Auto Mechanics, Arima Diagnostic College of Ultra Sound Sciences, The College of Professional Studies, The Institute of Legal Studies, The Institute of Higher Learning, Professional Assistants Limited, The TT Institute of Therapeutic Massage and Beauty Culture, The Upper Level Education Institute and the Academy of Tertiary Studies — received their accreditation certificates.

However, free tertiary education at the private institutions will only be applicable to specific programmes chosen by the Ministry, and registering undergraduate students.

Post graduate students will still have to pay 50 percent of their tuition fees.

Free education at these institutions is effective from January 2006. However, as the academic year has already begun, students who enroll from the following semester will be the first to gain from the initiative.

Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid said this year’s budget to accommodate 30,000 students has already amounted to TT$200 million.

Abdul-Hamid said the ministry will allow students to access degree programmes with tuition fees paid for entirely by the Government of TT.
“No longer would we see only the wealthy being able to obtain a higher education,” said Abdul-Hamid.

Abdul-Hamid said one of the ministry’s goals was to ensure that by 2015, 60 percent of students graduating from secondary schools will go on to a higher level of education.

Presently at the University of the West Indies (UWI), there are 13,000 students enrolled and 10,000 students who are eligible for Govt support.

Abdul-Hamid told the institutions present, “The more reasonable your fees, the more we could assist students so we can all have a productive relationship.”