THE EDITOR, Sir:
I SEE that even in this age where we preach equality and access for all, the 'haves' in Jamaica will continue to have and the 'have nots' shall remain just that. The University of the West Indies' (UWI) decision to hike the tuition for students in the medical faculty will mean that even the most brilliant child from humble beginnings may have to give up his dream of becoming a doctor. While I understand the need to recover the cost of educating the students at the university, we cannot continue to make this a purely economic issue.
I am personally familiar with the case of at least one brilliant student who always had a dream of becoming a doctor. He got accepted to the faculty directly from high school but was unable to pursue his dream because the tuition was way too high. It was way beyond what even the Student Loan Bureau would lend. Students from homes with more resources just simply produce a cheque for the sum, no problem.
When the lower classes begin to lose faith in what is supposed to be the great social equaliser, education, they will turn to other less palatable methods that will advance them up the economic ladder.
It is time that both the UWI and the Government look at methods to allow for poorer students with the aptitude to pursue university studies (i.e., a form of affirmative action). It is the only way that we can preserve the view that education can be a viable route out of poverty.
I am, etc.,
RICARDO SMALLING
rsmalling@sympatico.ca
Barbados
Via Go-Jamaica
