Maxine Henry-Wilson (left), Minister of Education and Youth, and Dr. Ethley London, executive director of the University Council of Jamaica, leave the ballroom of the Hilton Kingston hotel, New Kingston, after the Education Minister made a presentation at the 15th annual conference of the Joint Committee for Tertiary Education yesterday. - RUDOLPH BROWN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
THE GOVERNMENT is maintaining that it will not consider any increase in its subsidy to the University of the West Indies (UWI).
Maxine Henry-Wilson, the Minister of Education and Youth, said yesterday that a subsidy increase, as proposed by the UWI's students guild, is not possible at this time.
The University's guild of students executive had called for Government to absorb more tuition costs after the University Council announced fee increases of eight per cent for all faculties last week. Government currently subsidises tuition by 80 per cent.
"While we sympathise we have to ensure that no student is disadvantaged," Mrs. Henry-Wilson said during her presentation at the 15th annual conference of the Joint Committee for Tertiary Education yesterday. "(We have to ensure) that every university student starts with an 80 per cent subsidy of their fees."
FREE EDUCATION NOT REAL
She said the notion of free education was a concept people must rid themselves of because someone must bear the cost.
"Tertiary is not synonymous with the University of the West Indies. There is a tertiary sector and, whereas the University of the West Indies may have been one of the flagship institutions, we certainly need to have equity across the sector," she said. "And that is one of the policy positions that we will have to take."
See News section for story regarding new UWI fees.
