Prime Minister Gaston Browne has again underscored his government’s strong
support for the continued growth and expansion of the University of the West
Indies Five Islands Campus (UWI FIC) calling it the ‘crown jewel’ of his
government’s achievements over the past nine years.
The prime minister made the point during a courtesy call paid by the new Principal
of UWI FIC, Professor Justin Robinson, on Tuesday. “Our government is
committed to investing heavily in the university. The next phase is the USD80
million expansion of the campus, which should begin in the first quarter of next
year to make it one of the finest in the entire region,” he stated.
PM Browne told Principal Robinson that he is taking up his new assignment at an
important juncture in the life of the campus.
“You have come at a good time when you will be able to preside over a lot of
growth and development of the campus. In fact, I don’t think there is going to be a
better time for a person to come and to help to form the culture of this new campus
and to make it one of the best in the region,” he added.
He assured the principal that he can always count on the support of his
government. “In terms of the support of the government, we are not only going to
be there in terms of advocacy but financial support, we are totally committed,” he
declared.
As a measure of his government’s commitment to the UWI FIC, PM Browne
revealed that the government is prepared, if that is what is required, to introduce
tax measures solely to fund the university.
“This is a very important exercise for us; it’s a developmental programme for us
and we are going to go the extra mile to ensure that it works,” he emphasized.
The Prime Minister however added that his government wants to see an efficiently-
run campus and not to be a drain on the public resources. He suggested that the
overall UWI system perhaps, ought to take a closer look at the financial model that
it uses.
