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bb 27/10/14
Minister of Education Ronald Jones is
optimistic that the University of the West
Indies Cave Hill Campus will rebound from
its recent fall-off in enrollment, following
the introduction of tuition fees for
Barbadian students in September.
Addressing the ribbon cutting ceremony
for the University of the Southern
Caribbean (USC) Barbados yesterday,
Jones predicted that the 28.8 per cent
decline in numbers at Cave Hill would drop
to ten per cent next year and eventually
disappear in 2016.
The University of the West Indies,
Cave Hill Campus has had a slight
reduction in its numbers but we have been
told that that would happen. Research told
us and the students themselves told us to
expect that we would have some drop in
numbers in your rst year of [the] change
in [tuition] policy.
I would expect that next year that
number would drop to about ten per cent
and the third year, that number would
disappear and growth will return, he said.
The Minister of Education reiterated
the reasons behind Governments move to
abolish free tertiary education at the UWI
level. He said he had faith that the numbers
at Cave Hill would improve in time.
Human beings need time to plan their
own experiences, their own relationships
with all of our institutions. Students who
are coming in here in the future or who
are currently going in also have to plan
[and] their families have to plan for their
educational experiences.
We have held education and we have
held the health of our people close to
our hearts. And even though we have
had to modify the nancial offerings,
those still take a tremendous portion of
Governments expenditure, he said.
Rather than criticize, Jones urged
citizens to use their collective minds.
He also warned that false promises
in an environment of scarcity adds to the
hypocrisy of the process.
The Minister commended USC for
its holistic approach to teaching, saying
this was important and greatly needed in
todays society.
I believe that the University of the
Southern Caribbean adds to the notion of
sensible education. There is a very strong
notion that countries of our size, countries
of our historical experience should be
heavily engaged in science and technology
and engineering and mathematics, and that
is true.
But I hope that, as we make that
penetrated move, that we do not forget
some other aspects of the total education
of human beings.
There are signicant aspects of the
humanities that keep us focused on who
we are, what we are. . ., Jones explained.
Meanwhile, USCs president Dr
Clinton Valley said the learning institution
signied a turning point in terms of
the development of the work of the
Seventh Day Adventist tertiary education
in Barbados, and sought to transform
ordinary people through a hoslitic
educational experience.
We believe that USC has a major
transformative role to play in providing
our society, the Caribbean region and
the world with men and women who
are Christ-like, productive, honest and
committed to serve the world unselshly
and with highest standards of stability and
professionalism, Valley said.
(AH)
UWI will rebound, says Jones
The Chief Executive Ofcer of the Barbados
Agricultural Society (BAS) James Paul says the local
farming community is already reaping the benets
of a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding
signed with the Barbados Hotel and Tourism
Association and the Barbados Manufacturing
Association.
Speaking at the Annual General Meeting of the
BAS at the weekend, Paul reported that there had
been a new sense of direction among the farming
community.
Currently, the BAS markets agricultural products
for its commodity groups. These products include
vegetables and pork and other products. In this
regard the organisation has marketing over 3 000 lbs
of a produce on a weekly basis and this is without
access to a warehousing or processing facility.
This in itself is a commendable achievement and
if there could be greater co-operation among the
farmers much greater quantities of products could be
marketed through the BAS marketing facility,
he said.
The BAS head however lamented the fact that
praedial larceny continues to be a major headache
not only for farmers of root crops but also for dairy
and sheep farmers. (NC)
COMISSIONG DEAD SET
AGAINST HOTEL PLAN
Not Brownes beach!
Attorney-at-law David Comissiong made this plea to the
Government on Saturday night while addressing a meeting staged
by the University of Independence Square in the City.
Responding to last weeks announcement by Minister of
Tourism and International Transport Richard Sealy that two
12-storey Hyatt hotel towers would be constructed on the old
site of the Harbour Police Station and Detco Motors on Lower
Bay Street, Comissiong was adamant that the people of Barbados
must own some precious beachfront property for relaxation.
Giving the background to the project which will see a ve
star hotel constructed in the Lower Bay Street area, Comissiong
recalled that three years ago he was approached by a local
professional who sought his support in selling the project to
ordinary Barbadians.
I told him that I would not subscribe to any administration in
Barbados taking away the peoples Brownes Beach and turning it
into a tourist enclave. Brownes Beach is the beach of choice of
the masses of the people of Barbados. It is reputed to be one of
the top seven beaches in the world. It is a treasure of the people
of Barbados. It is the area where the celebrated poet Kamau
Brathwaite grew up. I told the business consultant, you have
already taken the whole of the west coast, turning those beaches
into tourist enclaves. The people do not feel that those beaches
belong to them, but they feel that Brownes Beach and Brandons
Beach are theirs. You mean that Brownes Beach is to be taken
away from them?, Comissiong asked.
He said the business consultant had told him they were
going to bring several foreign brand name hotels to the area.
Comissiong said the consultant sought to justify the move by
saying, Brownes Beach was too precious an asset to simply be
left to the enjoyment of the Barbadian people. Brownes Beach
must be used to facilitate foreign investment and bring foreign
exchange to this country.
So as far as his capitalist brain is concerned the only thing
that is important is foreign investment, foreign capital. If the
investment goes through the people of Barbados will be alienated
from Brownes Beach. It will be taken away from you if you
do not raise your voice, he warned, noting that there was no
response from the Barbadian people when the announcement
was made by Sealy.
The political activist also warned that the present
administration did not have a clear national philosophy even
though it argued that Barbados was more than an economy.
He asked: Why do you want to turn Barbados into a
playground of brand name hotels? This explains why I will
continue to say if we leave Barbados to this administration we
are lost.
Tourism MOU
beneting
farmers
Leave Brownes
Beach alone!
Minister of Education Ronald Jones (right) and
President of the University of the Southern Caribbean
(USC) Dr Clinton Valley (left) cutting the ribbon to
one of the rooms of the USCs new Alphonso House,
George Street, Belleville, St Michael home.
Attorney-at-law
David Comissiong
The Chief
Executive
Ofcer
of the
Barbados
Agricultural
Society,
James Paul.