Just over two dozen students from the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus took to the streets of The City yesterday protesting Government’s decision to make Barbadian students pay the full tuition fee from the 2014 academic year.
During the protest, which was organized by the campus’ Students’ Guild, the students, political activist David Comissiong, members of the Barbados Labour Party and other supporters chanted “Education is our only hope”, attracting the attention of shoppers and store employees.
As the protesters chanted loudly, they displayed placards which read Health And Education Build Economies, Education Is Our Only Way Out, Healthy Educated People Create Prosperity, Healthy Society Is A Prosperous Economy, Private Sector Do Your Part, Education Made Slaves Free Men and If You Tax Us Respect Us, among others.
Accompanied by members of the Royal Barbados Police Force, the procession arrived outside the Parliament Buildings as the clock there chimed 10 a.m. The protesters stopped for about one minute, faced the complex, held up their placards and put extra effort and energy into shouting their chant.
They then headed to Independence Square, where they raised their voices in a cry of “Help us, Barrow, help us” as they approached the statue of the Father of Independence, Errol Barrow.
Several speeches were delivered in the square as past and present students, a lecturer and several politicians voiced their concerns about the decision, the common theme being that the Government’s decision would have dire repercussions for the country.
Graduate Khalid Batson, who also commended the student protesters for their bravery, said that while he was aware Barbados’ economy was in a “hot spot”, decisions should not be made without consulting with interested parties.
“You go to the people that the decisions affect and you ask them how we go forward because we live in a democratic society,” said Batson.
He added: “Barbados has been guaranteed a philosophy by Mr Barrow that regardless of what happens there are certain things we stand by and there are certain things we stand for.
“No matter how hard the fight is, there are certain things we struggle for, and two of these things are our education and our health care.”
President of the Political Science Students Association, William Chandler, said that many students could not afford to pay the full tuition fee.
He said there were several “extremely poor” Barbadian students who were being given welfare by the Cave Hill Campus’ Students’ Guild and also told the gathering that there were Barbadian students at the Mona Campus surviving on Ramen bought wholesale by fellow Barbadians.
“We are not here just for the Barbadians here, and we are not here just for the Barbadians in the Caribbean. We are here to say that if Barbados falls in the education fight, the Caribbean will fall in the education fight,” said Chandler. (AH)
