Help For UWI Needed

Prime Ministers, Ministers, senior policy makers, representatives from the United Nations, international donor agencies, and development banks came together virtually last Wednesday to tackle the crisis being faced by the higher education sector in the Caribbean. Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of the UWI, acknowledged the contribution of Governments over the past seventy years but expressed the anxiety that without urgent investment the university might succumb to systemic decline. The meeting themed, "Investing in higher education to build more diversified and resilient post-COVID economies," drew over 100 participants who met with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America or ECLAC to put a spotlight on the urgent need for investment in the region's higher education sector. Among the outcomes was a call from Sir Hilary for a multi-donor trust fund to invest US$600 million over three years for the Caribbean's human capital development. He said a regional working group should be established to set up this critical fund. He acknowledged the contribution of Governments over the past seventy years but expressed the anxiety that without urgent investment the university might succumb to systemic decline.