ON TUESDAY MORNING I was greeted with an article headlined, “UWI Students Failing To Enrol Because Of Finances”. It was carried by an online newspaper, which reported sections of principal Eudine Barriteau’s speech to students at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill’s matriculation ceremony.
Professor Barriteau said that 4 803 individuals applied to the university, 2 478 were offered places but only 1 537 (approximately 70 per cent) accepted the offer. Of that 1 537, only 1 071 actually registered (135 graduate and 936 undergraduates).
I wasn’t alarmed by this report and honestly this situation is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future unless something drastic changes. The Jamaica Observer carried a story on Wednesday, September 10, 2014, which stated that 2 240 Barbadian students registered in 2013 and 1 468 in 2014. In 2016 that number declined once again, reaching an all-time low of 1 071 – a drop of 52 per cent since 2013.
One of the things that has contributed to this situation is the way in which the tuition fee policy was implemented. I believe if it was gradually introduced over a three-year period, parents and students would have had the time to prepare and adjust. The enrolment numbers would still have fallen but the fallout would have been less.
Additionally, the Government knew that once students were forced to pay their tuition fees, most would probably seek financial assistance from the Student Revolving Loan Fund (SRLF), especially since the interest rate is very low. It is reported that applications to the fund have increased some 500 per cent, which may affect those who normally use the fund for overseas postgraduate studies.
If this decline continues, it will have an effect nationwide for sure. Here are some possibilities that may arise.
Declines in enrolment at UWI:
1. Will lead to an inability to access higher-paying jobs.
2. Will lead to higher unemployment figures since there aren’t enough jobs to support the numbers not attending.
3. Will lead to job losses among some part-time and full-time lecturers and staff. Job losses will add further pressure on those in households who work and will lead to people dipping into savings and investments to survive if other employment isn’t found. These lecturers and staff with certain qualifications may be attracted by overseas territories and may accept jobs which offer great benefits and opportunities for advancement – their gain, our loss.
4. Will lead to more students at home liming and that can lead to mischievous behaviour, as well as heightened sexual activity which can lead to pregnancy or an increase in STDs. If this happens, the national health care system may be put under pressure.
5. Will lead to more students being home. We all know that when you are home, you eat more and also spend lots of time on the Internet and TV, which increases utility consumption leading to higher bills – burdening those in the house who pay such bills.
6. Will lead to less qualified individuals entering the job market. This may lead to people currently working having to work longer (in years) than expected, or “unqualified” or “underqualified” individuals taking up jobs they aren’t qualified to do.
7. May lead to Barbados importing talent and qualified persons to fill specialised posts.
8. Will produce a generation that is unable to compete in the international market for certain jobs and positions.
9. Will result in students being unable to pursue master’s programmes whether locally or overseas.
Some may argue that the Barbados Community College (BCC) is an alternative students can pursue since in 2015, it offered bachelor’s programmes in education (technical/vocational training), fine arts (studio arts or graphic design) and science (nursing, pharmacy, tourism and hospitality management), and this year bachelor of arts degrees in entertainment management, health sciences, media and journalism and education.
My concern with this recommendation is that only two of those programmes are offered at UWI (BSc in tourism management and a bachelor’s in health sciences), which means that BCC isn’t an adequate alternative.
I am very grateful for the support offered to the SRLF by the Caribbean Development Bank for a second time, an injection of $15 million, but this support isn’t sustainable. Education is too important to the stability and prosperity of Barbados for us not to find a solution to this current situation. Other countries rely on their natural resources; Barbados is what it is today because of the development and access to its human resource. Let’s find a solution.
• Corey Worrell, a former Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, is director of C2J Foundation Inc., a project-based NGO focusing on social development. Email: [email protected]
