ALMOST HALF of the more than $150 million debt Government owes the University of the West Indies (UWI) relates to outstanding monies for salaries and wages at the regional institution.
Senior sources connected to the institution have pointed this out, while dismissing claims the UWI’s vast expansion was largely responsible for the institution’s financial problems.
Over $6 million is required monthly to pay the more than 700 employees at the Cave Hill Campus, a commitment which Government has repeatedly fallen short of meeting, leaving the institution to rely on its own generated resources to cover the shortfall.
The sources told the DAILY NATION that Government’s debt to the UWI, which stood at about $29 million around the time that the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) assumed office in January, 2008, has now climbed to a staggering $154 million, mainly because of Government’s untimely settlement of its accounts.
