By Faith Edward
PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says the biggest betrayal was by University of the West Indies (UWI) officials who remained silent during the 10-year closure of the Debe campus.
During the post-cabinet media briefing conference on Thursday, Persad-Bissessar criticised the administrators for their inaction, saying, “Not a word in 10 years, now people running out there and want to open campus in August?”
Persad-Bissessar reminded the public that the campus was created to ease the burden of parents who had to pay high rentals, food costs and endure crime and traffic congestion just to send their children to St Augustine for higher education.
She said, “Spaces are limited, only so many could get high education and that is why we came up in my time, our government then, some of us were there with the UWI Debe campus, for the people of the South. It didn’t mean that St Augustine was gone… more spaces would have been created.”
Persad Bissessar added that the project was also meant to generate revenue by attracting foreign students.
“So yes, an educational service will be provided… but also could provide some revenue for us.”
She made it clear that while the government is committed to opening the campus, it would not happen in August.
“I don’t know where and who came up, that its going to be open in August, because when the ministers visited, the place is a total horror story… I pass it every day and see that wonderful state-of-the-art campus that we left… covered in bush, covered in rust, such a shame, what a betrayal.”
She accused UWI administrators of making no serious effort to operationalise the campus and insisted that it will be used as the government decides.
“That campus will be where the government says it will house. The administration will have no say in that. They cannot dictate to us what they want to put there.”
She dismissed talk of a global medical school, pointing to existing facilities.
“Don’t we have the Couva Hospital? That’s what that was for… we did the San Fernando Teaching Hospital.”
Persad-Bissessar warned UWI “Do not test me. If I have to do it… I will take that campus back and put it under government control to make sure we complete it, get the job done.”
She said thousands of children lost their chance at a tertiary education because they could not afford to travel to St Augustine.
“So many would have been able to go… I say shame on those people at the UWI and the administrators for the wickedness that they helped the last government commit on the children of the poor and working classes, and not just in South… this would have helped people in deep South.”
Speaking with reporters, Persad Bissessar said, “I have no intentions to interfere with their syllabus, their curriculum, who they hire to teach, who they fire from teaching … I’m talking about construction to get this building on the grounds, get it up. I don’t think UWI has any special talent, with constructing buildings and cleaning… we will not be stepping at all on their remains, the Independence remains. This is about a construction site now.”
The issue of the campus’s condition was raised after conflicting images were shared online with UWI posting photos of clean, furnished classrooms.
Responding to the contradiction, Minister of Energy and Energy Industries Dr Roodal Moonilal said, “There’s only one truth… but just to bear in mind that Roytec has been involved for a few months alone at that campus. Roytec pays the rent of, I think, $46,000 a month.”
Moonilal explained that Roytec had fixed a few classrooms for its own use to facilitate courses but said the rest of the facility was in disrepair.
“By virtue of Roytec’s presence and not the central UWI, they have fixed a couple of classrooms… 75% of the campus is really in a bad state and we have shared some images of that, in a horrific state.”
The University of the West Indies (UWI) stated in a press release on Wednesday that it has completed critical repair and security works at its Debe campus ahead of a planned phased reopening in August.
UWI said that despite financial constraints, it made the restoration of the facility a priority.
It added that works have been completed on several key buildings, including the three-storey academic block, the students’ union, auditorium/moot court, health centre, cafeteria and gymnasium.
The university said the buildings were refurbished “to a high standard” and are ready for use.
