TERTIARY EDUCATION remains free for all Barbadians.
Minister of Education Ronald Jones gave this assurance yesterday at a media conference. He said he wished to clear up any misunderstandings following the Budget.
“Over the last few weeks, there has been some discussion relative to cost of university education and some uncertainty in the minds of some people over the role of Government in the provision of free education, particularly at the tertiary level.
“Education at the tertiary level continues to be free at the point of delivery, that is, at the University of the West Indies (UWI).
“By that, we are not only speaking of the Cave Hill Campus but where Barbadian students are, the state will continue to provide resources for the education of those students,” he said.
However, Jones said there were “inefficiencies” in the system which he said Minister of Finance Christopher Sinckler was seeking to point out.
“Any system in which there are inefficiencies, there is cost, and we have to seek to eliminate them so we would have the maximum benefits of the funds provided for the University of the West Indies,” he said.
The Minister of Education said Barbados paid both tuition and economic cost for all students and with the “exponential increase” in students, costs were high.
Jones said they had seen a growth in the total cost of fees from $115 million in 2004 to $162 million in 2010/11.
“The point we have to make is the policy espoused by the Minister of Finance is already a policy of the Government of Barbados; it is nothing new.
“It was further refined in 2008 where we said full-time students would have three years to complete their undergrad degree and there would be an additional year based on any variables which could have impacted their studies, while part-time students would have six years,” he said.
Jones said the idea going around that people were getting into UWI without appropriate qualifications was not true and “needed to be dispelled” and those who thought that way did not understand how the process worked. (CA)