The Editor, Sir:

I, too, share Tony Becca's views that the University of Technology (UTech) should continue the battle to gain possession of the Trewlany Stadium facilities to establish a second campus out west. It is my view that the pro chancellor, who has access to the Government, should lead the way forward, if he is not already doing so.

The UTech story is a fascinating one, and is worth the history books of Jamaica's successful rise in technical education. With limited funding CAST/UTech has accomplished, regionally, the nearly impossible - a first-class university, inadequate funds notwithstanding.

The myth of sports tourism is an illusion to be pursued by those who believe in the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, or the thirsty who chase a mirage for water.

A government that cannot exploit Cricket World Cup by attracting cricket lovers to its shores to realise a profit should not believe that sports enthusiasts would be coming to Jamaica any time soon to watch even 'Lightning Bolt' run. They would much easier go to London to see that event.

Investing in education

Jamaica is in dire need of enhanced technical education as a requisite for its continued development. UTech has the expertise and needs only space, funding and state-of-the-art laboratories to produce the goods. There is no question that they should be offered the facility with additional funding from Government (if it can find the funds) or be given the autonomy to implement programmes to raise their own funds.

Past President Dr Rae Davis once said: "If you believe education is expensive, try illiteracy instead." Jamaica is paying the price for not investing enough in education. Check little Barbados and Singapore to prove the point. In the 1960s Jamaica's gross domestic product was higher than Singapore's. Barbados does as well or better than Jamaica in tourism arrivals; a place the size of Trewlany.

By not properly utilising the stadium, i.e. franchising it to UTech, we are putting the population an additional 25 years behind developmentally, on top of what we lagged behind, before. I encourage all concerned to allow good sense and good governance to prevail.

Tourists come to Jamaica, not because the beaches are the best in the world; not because the sun shines brighter, and not because we are sprint champions of the world. They come because, through the Jamaican people, they experience, the best tourism product in the world. But they are scared to come in larger numbers because of high crime levels, exorbitant pricing, bad publicity and poor marketing in some instances.

Underutilised

I would much prefer to see the government, of whichever party, concentrate on national security than being an obstacle in the way of progress for a facility that has been described as a white elephant and which is under-utilised.

To echo the words of Tony Becca and others of like mind, we encourage the UTech council, president and students to continue their efforts to access the stadium so that educational costs for students from the western regions of Jamaica can be lowered, and that they have increased matriculation and easier access to tertiary education - something that all Jamaicans will benefit from.

I am, etc.,

NOEL GUNNING

Past President

UTech Alumni

USA