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Financing Tertiary Education in the Caribbean: The Case of the University of the West Indies

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Andrew Downes is Professor of Economics and Director of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies. He has degrees in economics from the Universities of the West Indies and Manchester. He is the author of several monographs and articles covering such area as labour economics, macroeconomics, development economics and applied econometrics. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Eastern Caribbean Studies. He is the author of a report for the UNDP on the Millennium Development Goals in the Caribbean

Andrew Downes is Professor of Economics and Director of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies. He has degrees in economics from the Universities of the West Indies and Manchester. He is the author of several monographs and articles covering such area as labour economics, macroeconomics, development economics and applied econometrics. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Eastern Caribbean Studies. He is the author of a report for the UNDP on the Millennium Development Goals in the Caribbean.

27 responses to “Financing Tertiary Education in the Caribbean: The Case of the University of the West Indies”

  1. Ready done Avatar
    Ready done

    All uwi got to do is run “testing centers” where you could pay a fee to do any exam. We (future students) got access to all the information online from other universities. Only part UWI should be playing is to make sure you know what you think you know(by testing)

  2. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    This DLP administration is real foolish.

    I know two things.

    Bajans love their children.

    Bajans believe in education.

    This DLP administration has now put tax paying Bajans are under ’nuff ’nuff stress.

    Since this DLP government has put parents in the position of having to choose between writing a check to NIS, Inland Revenue, or Land Tax and writing a check to UWI for their daughter’s or son’s education, then loving Bajan parents (that is the majority of Bajans) WILL WRITE THE CHECK TO UWI FIRST

    And then this government will wonder why there is a shortfall at, Inland Revenue, Land Tax and NIS.

    Bajan parents put their children’s education first, you idiots!!!!!!

    You really think that any loving parent will pay the government before they pay for their children’s education???

    And when the taxpayer is dead they can try collecting from the duppy or they can crack some heads and dig the education out of the children’s brains maybe this is what “Crack Some Heads/We Jonesing” meant.

  3. David Avatar
    David

    Why this blind love affair with education? It we want to properly evaluate what education has done for Barbados in the last 10 years what should be the mother of all KPIs? Should it not be output which is defined by our ability to sustain ourselves in a wholesome environment? How come everything is owned by foreigners and we produce people like PW who preach sell sell sell?

  4. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    @ David
    Simple Simon is a UWI product as seen by the logic….

    Bajans love their children and they love education so the government should provide it completely free even though there is no money to do so…

    Lol …SS… Probably is a PhD candidate too….

  5. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Some of us live in Canada where parents can each work at 2 or 3 jobs and children can work part time.
    Therefore paying for a child’s education is not
    like in Barbados where there is high unemployment and a scarcity of jobs.

    This is why it is important for the Barbados Government to find a way to help students with Tuition and Books.

    We don’t want to allow Barbados to become a Nation of semi literates.

  6. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    De pie ain’t get na bigga.

    The goverment ask we to gie a mo’ bigga share of de pie to UWI.

    We say “alright den”. But we will have to gie a more smalla share to Inland Revenue, land tax etc.

    And de government will have to wait until we ded to collect de rest. To tell de truth, we don’t mind paying when we dun ded.

    Maybe DEM will have to increase death duties.

    But in spite of wha DEM do we ain’t plannin’ on deddin any time soon. We not like the Obama parents 3 of whom dun ded before de age of 60. We plannin’ to do like wha’ we grandmuddas do. We gran muddas din ded until dey was almost a hundred in spite of wha’ de white plantokrunts try to do ta dem, or do to dem, dey continue to weed de white man farm ground until dey was almost 100. And in the meantime dey bury plenty, plenty white men who did dun ded from strokes and ting when dey was only in dey 50’s and 60’s

    We ain’t like de Obama parents 3 or 4 of whom ded before dey reach 60.

    We like our grandparents are made of sterner stuff.

    So unless Mr. We Jonesin’ plan to shoot we, we ain’t dying anytime soon. And to besides we know when to fight and when to run away. We know when to hide unda we beds when Mr. We Jonesing bullets start to fly.

    We are Survivors Of The Crossing.

    We live thru nuff, nuff policy shite already. From slavery to Christianity, to to civil unrest, to police bullets, to racism, to colonialism.

    Nuff nuff, foolish people with nuff, nuff foolish policies try to kill we already.

    BUT WE ARE STILL HERE.

    Tell DEM tek dat.

    Dear David Mr. Blog Master: We like edication sa bad, becausin’ we gran muddda did get none, and we know dat we granmudda did bright as shite and deserving edication.

    So we tekking we share, we tekka we mudda share, and we tekkin we granmudda share.

    We built this place by our sweat, and by our blood.

    That’s why we love education so much.

  7. David Avatar
    David

    @Simple

    Think!

    Education must be relevant to the times.

    After all the so called free education can you answer the question – Are we there yet?

    After rolling out so called free education are you able to appreciate that we are operating in times when paying 150 million annually to satisfy Hilary’s dream is not affordable?

    Are you able to comprehend that ALL systems have a throughput capacity?

    Think!

    On 24 August 2013 14:55, Barbados Underground

  8. David Avatar
    David

    Here is what Dr. Downes have to say about how a university needs to operate in the 21st century (page/slide 26)

    TRENDS AND FUTURE PLANSPrivate sector university partnerships with respect to the commercialization of research and the development of facilities ( conference facilities with business schools, development of research and computing labs for training, development of creative arts centres for shows etc)
    Greater use of ICT for administrative activities to reduce administrative costs
    Developing capacity to contribute to regional and international development by establishing priorities and seeking grant funding
    These measures would need a culture change in the way that the UWI operates—leadership and change management

  9. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    And we looking forward to burying this current crop of Parliamentarians as they die off from strokes, and heart attacks and diabetes (chronic non-communicable diseases) Because many of them are too lickerish.

    Not forgetting the careless ones long past, recent past, and current who are dying of form communicable diseases.

    The wheels of God grind slowly, but they grind exceeding fine. Nobody can unfair we fa eva.

    May they all rest in peace.

  10. David Avatar
    David

    @Simple

    What does having a macabre pleasure at the death rate of politicians do to alleviate the mess? Are they not the one making the decisions WHILE they are alive any way?

  11. Pieceuhderockyeahright !!! Avatar
    Pieceuhderockyeahright !!!

    @ David[BU]

    It is interesting that Professor Downes, he of regurgitated reports, in and among development agencies, particularly UNDP, can now find the balls to come forward, after all the years on the BLP gravy train, to give these jewels of innovative wisdom.

    Institutional memory is a bitch of a master when these posturer s become the cornerstones, akin to my useless goadies.

    Waste foops now the luminaries of BIM

    Indeed the time of Revelation when young me, under the influence of sensimalia and blackies, shall dream dreams, and ole farts like me, under the influence of oldtimers and fumes of pokeys that we can never manage, shall see visions

  12. David Avatar
    David

    @Piece

    Do not be so cynical in your ole age maybe he has finally decided to value feedback from his brother about the PROFILE of candidates let loose in the local job market.

  13. David Avatar
    David

    @Piece

    It is interesting that Professor Downes, he of regurgitated reports, in and among development agencies, particularly UNDP, can now find the balls to come forward, after all the years on the BLP gravy train, to give these jewels of innovative wisdom.

    Maybe he wants to distance himself from George given his latest verbal fusillade targeted at the DLP.

  14. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    @David the blog master “After all the so called free education can you answer the question – Are we there yet?”

    Dear David: The Simple one is NOT of the time and place that get any o’ dis free edication ting.

    LOLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I am truly surprised that you would think so. The Simple one never ate a free school meal yet. The Simple walked home at lunch time and ate bakes and an egg that the fowl just lay, and lemonade make with limes from the tree in the yard, and from sugar grown by the family. David I started picking nut grass and debble grass in my father’s fields when I was 4 years old. You know how hard it is stooping down in a hot cane ground, with the sharp blades bruising your arms when you are 4 years old? Nowadays we would let foreigners tell us that that is child abuse. But the Simple one ain’t ded yet. De Simple one still wukking de same ground and holding down a foreign exchange generating job too.

    LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    However the Simple one is now of the time and place that pays the taxes big time to fund the free education for others. And the Simple one likes it so.

    David. No we are not there yet. There is no society that can ever be “there”

    There is ALWAYS in the future.

    But we keep on working until we can hand over the future to our children and their children

    The Simple one’s littly jonny who get a lot of dis free edication ting has already in less that 10 years paid $200,000 in taxes, none earned from a govmint job. All earned from the foreign exchange generating sector.

    Dat is wha’ free edication do fa Babadus.

    One thing I can can tell you about the Simple one and kin is that we can work hard as shite. And we have worked hard as shite in this Barbados for hundreds of years, and plan to continue doing so for thousands of years more. You tink it easy to work in a cane ground from the time you are 4 to well into your nineties. We have not given up on Barbados. We will NEVER give up on Barbados. David I am the only Simple one in the family. All the rest of Simple’s family bright as shite and hard working as shite too.

    Ah hear that the big guts Minister buy he self a new big ride.

    Heh!!, heh!!! and here de Simple one still catching de ZR, because the way de Simple one look at it why pay $15,000 a year to get to work, when the ZR can get you there for $1,000 per year ($20 per week x 50 weeks).
    But the the Minister spening’ my money (NOT his) to buy de big ride while I ketchin. my tail ketching de ZR.

    And de Simple one is only twice de Minister’s age and half his weight.

    LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Lemme go in de ground and do some real, real work do David.

    David some o’ de dese politicians only jealous of Sir Hilary. Ask Hilary’s father what Hilary’s elders did for Hilary and for this country. He ole man ain’t ded yet ya know. Ask he how those people from Rock Hall, and Mangrove, and Bakers, and Black Bess worked hard as shite to pull their families and this Barbados forward.

    David ah gone.

  15. David Avatar
    David

    @Simple

    Based on your last essay one must surmise that the size of our so called middleclass today is the same as it was when your family was working the ground. Decisions are made based on the relevance of the times. Do you understand Simple?

  16. Pieceuhderockyeahright !!! Avatar
    Pieceuhderockyeahright !!!

    @ David [BU]

    Or in his obsequious style, insert himself into the good graces of the DLP like Justin Robinson lol

  17. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    Time for an allergory

    David long ago Moses went to the mountain top and saw the promised land.

    When the Simple one was just a little thing a priest told a story

    “Once upon a time a man passed and saw a farmer working in his field. The man (probably a Cabinet Minister in a new air conditioned big ride) said to the farmer, “Look how lovely your field is, what a blessing from the Lord.” To which the farmer replied “You should see how this field looked when the Lord was working it by himself.”

    The moral of this story is that we can never be there. There being that heavenly place where no effort is required.

    Even if God gives us the promised land, by the sweat of our brow we still have to work it.

    And sometimes the promised land is not literal land. Sometimes the promised land is a great brain, and we still have to work it.

    Sometime the promised land is a great voice, and we have to sing for our supper (ask Rihanna if she can sit down and still have the money roll in). Ask the dead MIchael Jackson.

    Sometimes the promised land means strong muscles and we have to work them for a living.

    Sometimes the promised land is artistic talent and we have to draw, and paint and sculpt and dance for our supper.

    If there is one truth in the Scriptures it is that “by the sweat of our brow we shall eat bread (air conditined big rides not withstanding) because I am sure there is more than one Parliamentarian now sweating (air conditined big rides not withstanding) wondering, wonderign whether he, she, he-he, she-she gine get back the big pick.

    Ya tink life easy David?

  18. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    David there is no Bajan middle class.

    David the white American middle class feminists used to say that white middle class American women were only one husband (read one divorce) away from poverty.

    Most of the Bajan middle class is only one job loss away from poverty.

    A good number of our Parliamentarians are only one election away from poverty. Didn’t some of them had difficulty paying their rent before being elected?

    That is as much as I can understand.

    Remember I Simple.

    Simon

  19. Ping Pong Avatar
    Ping Pong

    The Government has “promised” that no one will be denied a university education because of financial need (or something to that effect). There are about 8 000 students at Cave Hill. I will assume that about 3000 of them will need financial assistance. Further I will assume that the average tuition fee to be about $5 500 per year. This means that about $16.5 million/ year will have to put aside to meet this demand. Given that a year’s grace is given before repayment starts I will conservatively estimate that $33 million (i.e 2 years tuition costs) will have to put aside. If my ‘back of the envelope” analysis is good, is it reasonable to ask if provision has been made to top up the student revolving loan fund to meet this demand?

    The total economic pie is not getting any bigger it may actually be shrinking. No one seems to be questioning UWI’s increasing costs but the Government is telling the people that they must pay more. Where is this money going to come from?

  20. JUST ASKING Avatar
    JUST ASKING

    Bajan parents put their children’s education first, you idiots!!!!!!Bajan parents put their children’s education first, you idiots!!!!!!

    ———————
    VERY GOOD POINT !!!

  21. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    @Bush Tea | August 24, 2013 at 10:48 AM …@ David
    Simple Simon is a UWI product as seen by the logic….Bajans love their children and they love education so the government should provide it completely free even though there is no money to do so…Lol …SS… Probably is a PhD candidate too….”

    Dear Mr. Bush Tea: The Simple Simon regrets to inform you that Simple is neither a product of UWI, nor a PhD candidate. The Simple is pleased to inform you that education in Barbados has NEVER BEEN FREE. The Simple understands (and we pray that some day you will reach our level of understanding) that education in Barbados has ALWAYS BEEN PAID for by the Bajan taxpayers. And the Bajan taxpayers did not ask to be relieved of the responsibility of paying for the education of the younger generation. However we would be pleased to be relieved of the burden of paying the salaries and pensions of some of our members of parliament. We would also be pleased to be relieved of the burden of paying for your pension and health care.

    So why don’t you run along (I almost said why don’t you b()gger off)

  22. JUST ASKING Avatar
    JUST ASKING

    David some o’ de dese politicians only jealous of Sir Hilary.
    ——————————————–
    THAT IS TRUE !

    Politicians in Barbados hate it when somebody else is in the spotlight.
    People in Barbados hate successful Bajans

  23. Tell me more Avatar
    Tell me more

    A few questions to be answered, I need to find out why the Vincy Gal with the straight black hair who works under the UWI boss Beckles is directing the students to protest.

    Why are they using her UWI office as Campaign Central.

    What does she do?

    Why is she not encouraging T&T students to protest the payment of 50% of tuition and economic cost when they come to Cave Hill.

    These students have to prove residence in T&T for 3 years before applying and must pay their money before Gov’t pays. Must also get a minimum GPA of 2.0 or no payment from Gov’t.

  24. David Avatar
    David

    Interesting discussion on CNN today about how the easy access to money does not put pressure on the university to be cost efficient. Parallels?

  25. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    @David “the easy access to money does not put pressure on the university to be cost efficient. Parallels?”

    How cost efficient is crack some heard and shoot some people Jones required to be?

    How cost efficient is “I only work for $17,000 dollars a month” Steve Blackett required to be?

  26. Ping Pong Avatar
    Ping Pong

    My land tax will increase next year by $1100 a year. My child who will enter UWI next year will cost me a minimum of $5 500. My income will be reduced due to increased income taxes. As I am on a fixed (actually reducing) monthly income, I am worried that I am sliding into poverty.

  27. David Avatar
    David

    @Ping Pong

    Your current personal financial state is just a mirror of the national position.

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