EDITOR’S NOTE: At the beginning of this month, #EduCaribbean examined the negative effect the pandemic has been having on funding of Caribbean universities. In this issue, we re-visit the topic: this time focusing on the University of the West Indies (UWI) and their effort to address their financial short-fall in time for the new academic year.
UWI contends that the Mona Campus in Jamaica was responsible for the majority of their debt and that funding from the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) had left them with a 40% shortfall in operating expenses. Initial effort was therefore concentrated on seeking additional GOJ funds, which was not forthcoming.
Of course, the finalization of the student fees is critical, but there is no agreement between the Standing Finance Committee of the GOJ Parliament and the university on the way forward. So, UWI has foregone additional government funding, and developed a ten-point plan involving both cost containment and generation of additional income.
EduCaribbean Weekend ed. 2021-03-18
