Floyd Morris | What of the upcoming of tertiary instruction in Jamaica? | Commentary

On Could 30, Professor Densil Williams, with his typical luminosity and panache, outlined the management complexities of The College of the West Indies (UWI) in an great posting titled ‘Understanding complexities of The College of the West Indies’. Professor William brilliantly outlined the troubles influencing the over 70-12 months-old establishment that has developed some of the region’s greatest intellectuals and leaders of governing administration, as nicely as captains of business. What is fairly pellucid from the arguments of Professor Williams is that the troubles are not insurmountable. A unity and fixity of reason is what is essential on the element of all the stakeholders to offer with the problems.

A person argument that I wished for Professor Williams to have expounded on in his article was the present contribution of the Authorities of Jamaica (GOJ) to the UWI. There was an recognized arrangement, prior to 2009, on the GOJ producing a contribution to the economic expense of each student attending the institution. The proven level was 80 for every cent of the economic charge, even though college students would lead 20 for every cent. But faced with the financial meltdown of 2008-2009, the Bruce Golding-led administration, in what I regard as ‘good faith’, made a decision to make a mounted payment to the establishment until eventually the place had recovered from the economic downturn confronting the world at the time. Just over J$6 billion was allotted for the UWI and this was about J$3 billion a lot less than what ought to have been paid around to the institution.

The arrangement of the Golding administration located its way in the 2010 Standby Arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It said: “A nominal freeze will also be carried out on tuition subsidies for tertiary training at the degree of the FY2009/10 funds, even though a procedure of usually means screening will be released.” The present primary minister, Andrew Holness, was the then minister of education and learning and was completely involved in the conclusion to improve the founded formula. The set up system had appear about with agreements by the respective stakeholders at the College Council, the entire body that has accountability for signing off on charges for college students at the UWI.

Established Model

The decision by the then Golding administration was ongoing by the Portia Simpson Miller-led administration with Ronald Thwaites as the then minister of education and learning. It has now become, it appears to be, to be the proven model by the GOJ in funding tertiary establishments. The essential question to be answered is: is this a honest and pragmatic shift by the GOJ?

In 2008, the GOJ established the Eyesight 2030 Improvement Approach of Jamaica. This growth prepare is irrefutably Jamaica’s road map to produce world position. Intrinsic to this strategy is the training of a crucial mass of the population at the tertiary stage. These are the people today who will have the ability set and expertise to enhance Jamaica’s competitiveness on the earth phase. The entire world is a worldwide village and our merchandise and products and services have to compete with nations that are intensely investing in education and learning, and specially at the tertiary degree.

Professor Williams in his short article pointed to the point that developed nations around the world were being viewing seven out of 10 college students leaving high educational facilities, moving up to post-secondary education and learning. Conversely, in the Caribbean, only two out of 10 high-school graduates have been transferring to the publish-secondary amount. This are unable to slice it in the period of the 4th industrial revolution. It cannot slash it in the period of robotics. It simply cannot minimize it in the period exactly where the provider sector is escalating exponentially.

The GOJ calls for tertiary institutions to help in assembly its targets for the professionalisation of citizens to choose the state into designed planet position by 2030. The tertiary institution with the biggest capability in the Caribbean to do so is the UWI. And, the UWI has rallied and responded to this demand from customers with fixity of purpose. It has greater its enrolment of learners to 19,000 in the pre-COVID-19 period. This is up from about 10,000 in 2008. In excess of a 12-calendar year period, the institution has improved its enrolment by roughly 90 per cent. Even so, its bottom line has been impacted mainly because of the arbitrary change that has been made by the GOJ to reduce its monetary contribution to the institution.

FUNDING OF TERTIARY Education and learning

In 2019, I asked a variety of queries in the Senate relating to the concern of funding for tertiary education and learning, and especially, the debt owed to the UWI by the GOJ. It was said in the responses to the queries that there is an approximated credit card debt of J$33 billion that is claimed to be owed to the UWI. Additionally, the GOJ acknowledged that the determination to make a mounted yearly payment was finished in 2009 and this led to a reduction in the percentage contribution to the economic charge for each scholar at the UWI. Based on the latest records of the UWI, the GOJ is contributing less than 40 for every cent of the economic value for just about every student finding out at the institution. This has left a gaping gap in the finances of the establishment and it has taken a Herculean effort from the administration team at the institution to preserve the ship constant.

Kudos have to be specified to the vice-chancellor of the UWI, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, for his visionary stance on this issue and the growing of service fees to pupils. The vice-chancellor has corrigibly insisted on no maximize of costs to college students at this time. This is because it would be unconscionable for students to be burdened with an increase in costs when the COVID-19 pandemic has experienced a deleterious influence on families across the location. At Mona, approximately 3,000 students who were being registered in the pre-COVID-19 time period have not registered in the educational calendar year 2020-2021. It is consequently inconceivable to see what the fallout level would have been if there was an increase in tuition expenses at UWI throughout this pandemic.

QUESTIONABLE

So the GOJ’s focus on for the 2030 agenda is now questionable. With this myopic general public policy determination in direction of the UWI, it is unimaginable to see the targets articulated in the Vision 2030 Development Plan of Jamaica currently being realised. The GOJ have to establish a rapprochement with the UWI and offer with its outstanding commitments to the institution. It will have to have a discussion with the administration on a reasonable contribution to be built to the institution. For example, if the Authorities need to give the UWI a contribution of 50 for each cent of the economic price tag of just about every college student researching at the establishment, it would go a significantly way in correcting the challenge.

The vice-chancellor has outlined a complete plan for reimagining the UWI. This 10-level prepare articulates a new funding model that would see governing administration, the non-public sector, learners and the UWI creating their contribution to the funding of the institution. I strongly endorse and aid the product. The GOJ should stage up to the plate and honour its commitments to the training of the youths of our country.

If the GOJ does not make moves to correct and reconcile its contribution to the UWI, what is very likely to occur is that the establishment will be compelled to cut its enrolment of students considerably. This selection would further retard the development of the country and the Caribbean. It would blight the upcoming of a quantity of our fantastic young minds, who see instruction as the means of lifting them out of perpetual poverty.

It is blatantly unjust for some policymakers, who are graduates of the noble institution, to be treating tertiary education in this supercilious fashion. The music of celebrated reggae artiste Ernie Smith is applicable and salutary: “Can’t build no foundation pon a if and a but. Are we developing a nation, or are we making a hut?”

– Dr Floyd Morris is an opposition senator in the Parliament of Jamaica. Mail comments to columns@glenerjm.com