By Sue-Ann Wayow

THE Penal-Debe campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) is expected to be opened soon.

This was confirmed by Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training Prof Prakash Persad, who has a planned tour along with Member of Parliament for Oropouche East and Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal, scheduled for Tuesday.

The announcement comes two days after Persad met with UWI Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine.

Speaking with AZP News on Monday,  Persad said, “I wanted to get an update on the status of things. It is a known fact that the Prime Minister (Kamla Persad-Bissessar) wants the campus opened and the public wants the opening also. I am going there tomorrow morning to visit the site to see exactly what is the status of it and then it can be opened.”

He added, “The intention is to have it open but we need to know the state of it now and how much repair etc is needed.” The campus is expected to be the home of the Global School of Medicine (GSM).

But Persad said, “We are looking at everything. The idea is to have it as a full campus.”

The minister has been meeting with the heads of tertiary level institutions since his appointment as minister earlier this month.

He said what he has discovered was that some programmes were being duplicated and there needed to be more harmonising, using existing staff to be more efficient.

Prof Persad also said he told the university’s management that they must create systems to earn money.

“The universities must have a plan to earn money, a defined plan. The days of government funded universities fully are gone even in developed countries  that’s not happening,” he told AZP News.

In March this year, Prof Antoine presented the 2023/2024 Annual Report, highlighting the success of the “UWI Made” brand.

A release from UWI in March stated, “One of the biggest highlights was the significant progress in developing the Global School of Medicine (GSM) at the South Campus, which was recently enhanced and outfitted. The GSM will be part of a broader South-North Medical Artery and is expected to generate substantial revenue and foreign exchange for the campus by attracting international students.

“Furthermore, the GSM is on track to welcome its inaugural class undertaking qualifying courses in September 2025, having secured accreditation from the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP). The South Campus has recently finalised considerable repairs, enhancing its facilities.”

The contract to build the campus was officially signed off on August 2, 2012 under the then stewardship of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and was originally to house the Faculty of Law.

This first phase of the project was to also include accommodations for  a Campus Library, a General Academic/Administration Building, Student Union Building, Students Halls of Residence and Playing Fields.

Its first intake of students was expected to be in 2014.

On July 31, 2015, there was a ceremonial “topping off” which was also the occasion for the official handover of the lease agreement for the site, a ribbon-cutting and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque.

The first intake of students was then scheduled for 2016.

In March, 2017 following a change of administration, UWI released a statement giving an update on the facility.

It stated then, “A firm decision with respect to what aspect of UWI teaching and learning will be relocating to the Penal-Debe campus has not yet been decided.”

“The final decision on what happens at the South Campus will be guided by an assessment of how The UWI could best utilise the South Campus to maximise return on the public investment in its development,” that release also stated.

In 2023, former Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly speaking in Parliament said the campus would become a medical school, partially funded by a proposed $330 million bond.

The south campus was used as a national facility during the Covid-19 pandemic and later returned to UWI. The University says it has since carried out repairs and security upgrades and re-evaluated the campus’ long-term purpose.

This campus was initially designated for the Faculty of Law at UWI.