A CREATIVE WORK of state craft.
That is how Minister of Tourism, Richard Sealy has described the 2013 Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals which were delivered by Minister of Finance, Chris Sinckler on Tuesday.
Sealy said that the proposals dealt with two of the biggest issues confronting islands in the Caribbean – high levels of debt and low levels of growth.
“It is a well written document and it is something that provides a blueprint for serious development in Barbados,” he said.
“Not only will it help to get us through this crisis, but at the same time it will also put us on a path for growth going forward.”
“In this Budget…we are actually dealing with both of these issues and doing so in a manner that this government continues to protect the society we hold so dearly,” the Minister added.With tuition fees for students at the University of the West Indies (UWI) being one of the main talking points, Sealy maintained that despite this development, no Barbadian would be deprived of a university education.
He insisted that the goverment would be actively working to ensure that no student would be put at a disadvantage.
“No deserving person will be denied access to university education.
“Don’t let anybody suggest to you that we have in any way abandoned our commitment to education. This party is the education party and we are going to make sure that no one will be deprived of an opportunity to further their studies,” Sealy stressed.
The minister did, however, acknowledge that there was a need for a more creative approach to financing tertiary education.
He outlined that there was still a very high cost attached to attending the UWI.
“We already ask people to contribute, but what the goverment is saying is that the economic costs are ok, but we need to be a little more creative with how we deal with the tuition element.”