UWI waives tuition fee for Haitians
Published:Wednesday | July 7, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter
THE UNIVERSITY of the West Indies (UWI) is looking to international donors for US$2 million to finance the cost of living expenses for 200 Haitian students being invited to complete their courses in the region.
With the Haitian tertiary education system in shambles following the massive January 12 earthquake, the administration of the UWI has decided to waive the tuition fees for the Haitian final-year students to give them a chance to complete their degrees.
However, there is still a big bill that will have to be paid.
"The truth is that we are going to have to look for assistance either from governments, multilateral agencies or the private sector to support some of their living expenses, like books and so on," UWI Vice-Chancellor Professor E. Nigel Harris told journalists yesterday.
He said this was part of the university's response to the challenges facing the people of Haiti.
"As a result of the earthquake, 90 per cent of the tertiary education institutions were destroyed because they were in the centre of the city," Harris said.
The UWI vice-chancellor was updating the media after officials of the university made their pitch to the 31st meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government in Montego Bay, St James.
"Our presentation to CARICOM was really looking for their assistance and partnership in getting funding for some of these students."
Regional consideration
He said in the immediate aftermath of the Haitian disaster the UWI responded with humanitarian and technical assistance before moving on to look at a long-term assistance to the education system in the ravaged nation.
According to Harris, that long-term assistance is being considered with universities around the region, including entities in countries outside the English-speaking Caribbean.
But even while that is being done, the UWI has started to offer places to the Haitian final-year students with the Mona campus in Jamaica slated to accept 100; Cave Hill, Barbados, 25, and St Augustine, Trinidad, 75.
"In truth, we are going to fall short of the numbers, but we are taking who we can," Harris said.
He said the interviews were continuing in Haiti with a selection process taking place based on issues such as their language skills and their willingness to move.
"It turns out many of the students don't want to move at this time so, in fact, we are trying to work through that, and at this moment we have selected 30 students so far for Mona."
Approximately 60 students have already indicated interest in completing their degrees in engineering in Trinidad, while no potential candidate has yet been selected for Barbados.