I am a concerned citizen of Guyana, and I am studying in Trinidad. There are Other Guyanese who are studying here too. It was brought to my attention when I read the dailies on the University of the West Indies (UWI) students’ protest that the Government of Guyana does not contribute to the UWI budget, and therefore Guyanese citizens have to pay the full international fees. The tuition fees for UWI are very expensive and total approximately TT$29,000.00.
In the case of the other Caribbean nationals, their government pays 80% of the fees while the students pay the remaining 20%, and then return home and work for the government. Why can’t our government do the same thing? It is for the benefit of the citizens and the country, because the skills and knowledge that we gain will benefit our own country. After I applied to UWI, I had to change my mind after learning the cost and go to another institution which was cheaper. I still have hopes of attending UWI, but I would like the Government of Guyana to look into the issue of contributing to the budget, since there are a lot of students at UWI from Guyana, and they are finding it hard to pay the fees.
Yours faithfully,
Shelly Fullerton
Editor’s note
UWI started as an external college of the University of London in 1948, and for more than a decade this country did contribute to its budget. In 1962 it became fully independent of London University, but at that point Dr Jagan, who was the premier, did not feel that UWI was meeting the needs of higher education in this country and was loathe to continue the arrangement. Instead he began exploring the possibility of establishing an independent university here, which eventually led to the establishment of the University of Guyana in 1963.
Nowadays UG students too have to pay fees.
