Lets clear up some things … Luke is not a lawyer and he certainly did not study law at UWI. So please do not say he is a young lawyer or a lawyer for that matter because he is not. He was in the Faculty of Social Sciences.
While I understand Luke’s dilemma I do not believe his case has a strong foundation for several reasons including those mentioned by other posters. I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes but I believe that an LL.B. is far more demanding than a degree in the social sciences so imagine if Luke were in the Faculty of Law – he would hold a press conference with CNN!!!
I have first hand experience with members of some faculties trying to distinguish the ‘goat’ from the ‘sheep’ and while I can understand why they would do this I cannot agree that an exam should be set especially difficult to achieve this end. I believe exams should be reflective of what was taught in class or covered on the syllabus/worksheets.
Some courses, especially those in Law, Medicine, Actuarial Science, etc cover large areas and students have to be guided as to what is relevant to their present purposes to the exclusion of what may be covered at another time. But its as if some lecturers lecture a course on the ‘automobile’s engine’ and set a question on how the mechanics of a car stereo.
Some lecturers also don’t make themselves available for consultation, they refuse to entertain student concerns about the course, and even tutors sometimes complain about the delivery of courses and the overall lack of interest of most lecturers in certain faculties. I have had many lecturers canceled because someone had to go to a board meeting, a prior engagement, traveling or went to play golf with a businessman, diplomat or judge – ridiculous!!!
Yes there are many problems with UWI Cave Hill and the only merit of Luke’s lawsuit will be to bring some attention to the difficulties faced by students at this institution.
Source: And Still i Rise Blog
The above extract was taken from a sister blog out of St.Vincent. Late last year when the 21 year old Robert Luke Browne won 2008 Rhodes Scholar for the Eastern Caribbean BU applauded the selection of the young man. In recent days the news broke that Luke has decided to sue the University of the West Indies (UWI) because he was awarded an Upper Second Class Honours Degree instead of the First Class Honours he expected. Feedback has come fast and furious from both sides on the issue. We decided to blog about the issue not because we have an opinion on the matter but because we are interested in what the BU family has to say on the issue.
Over the years we have seen the growth of the UWI with more and more of our young people gaining access to tertiary education. We acknowledge the fact that the UWI is a regional institution is fully accredited and has taken its place in the world of respected educational institutions. BU and some members of the BU family have been critical about some of the policy approaches occurring at UWI under the stewardship of Sir Hilary Beckles. It is no secret that the BU household has some concerns about the quality of the finished product being churned out by the UWI. The business community in the region has been very vocal about deficiencies seen in the UWI graduate when they enter the workplace. In recent days there has been conversation in the traditional media in Barbados about the lack of basic English skills of the UWI student.
As the commenter alluded to in the extract above, at minimum the law suit will drive debate on current practices at the UWI. If Sir Hilary is the educator we hope he is, he should use the feedback to improve the workings at Cave Hill. Given UWI’s affiliation to St. Augustine in Trinidad and Mona in Jamaica those universities would benefit from the exercise as well.
We end by complimenting a few of the UWI lecturers and the professors who have been coming public on some of the issues affecting civil society in Barbados and the Caribbean. A lot of the respect which the late Wendell McClean and Neville Duncan would have garnered is linked to their willingness to channel ideas into the public space. We may not agree or have agreed with them on all the issues but the injection of views from the world of academia is a constructive exercise.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.