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UWI Scholarship $$$ to local students should decrease - Dr. Potter

- Says Ministry is “double paying”, portion should be taken out to pay UWI economic cost
Dr. Marcia Potter, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Culture is recommending that the monies paid to UWI scholarship students be reduced to help cover Government's economic cost to the university.
UWI logo.
UWI logo.
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- In relation to ‘significant changes’ that are to be made in the educational system, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Culture, Dr. Marcia Potter recommended that the $25,000 scholarship given to students attending the University of the West Indies (UWI) should be reduced and a portion of that money should be kept by Government to pay the economic cost to the university.

Speaking during the 2012 Standing Finance Committee (SFC) deliberations, the Acting PS was at the time speaking about the bill she received from UWI at the end of December 2011.

Territorial Member Hon. Archibald C. Christian asked, how far back did the bill go to which she replied “when I called the University of the West Indies, they told me that they were speaking to me from 2006/2007”.

Dr. Potter further stated that the bill was received at the end of December and they are now trying to see how the situation could be reconciled.

Submitting a solution to reduce the outstanding amount until the bill is reconciled, she suggested that the amount of money received by the students attending UWI should be reduced.

“We need to take a decision on how payments are being made to students of the University of the West Indies. Most of the students who go to UWI are law students or medical students. Students studying in the U.S would get all of the funds in incremental payments by semester to pay their fees. At the University of the West Indies the fees were split into Government contribution and tuition. A student was paid $25,000 in scholarship and the UWI students only pay their tuition from that amount. The Ministry still had to pay the contribution to the University which meant that they were double paying if they continued with that situation at present. The last time I checked, a medical student at UWI in the clinical years would be paying $7,000-$8,000 for tuition and all other fees, but they were given $25,000 in scholarships. The ministry would pay the economic cost to the university which was not taken out of that $25,000,” the Acting PS told the SFC members.

According to Dr. Potter, “If a student went to a University such as in the United States, they received $25,000 paid in equal amounts per semester for the year which would take care of all their expenses which included tuition, boarding, meals, everything. A student that goes to UWI received the same $25,000 but did not pay the full amount”.

Member of the Eighth District Hon. Marlon Penn, enquired how long this had been going on, to which Dr. Potter replied, “This had been the arrangement for a very long time”.

In relation to when the figure of $25,000 came about, Dr. Potter stated that she already began to look into the situation and will send the report as soon as they found out ‘what was going on’.

18 Responses to “UWI Scholarship $$$ to local students should decrease - Dr. Potter”

  • Not2Sure (19/04/2012, 08:40) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I am wondering if we need to reconsider our relationship with UWI. Much more BVIslanders now go to study in the US and the UK. Why should our Government keep subsidising students from Jamaica and Trinidad to study?
  • .... (19/04/2012, 08:54) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    seeeeee waste again under the former administration!!! NO WONDER WE BROKES!!!
    • wait a min (19/04/2012, 09:53) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      hush your self deman..poor we now we will end up at he University of Jamacia (PS) and Antigua (Minister)! back off UWI
    • Well Hmph (19/04/2012, 16:34) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      I go to UWI. My scholarship is a) not not $25000 its 21K, seciondly the government does not pay the economic cost, we pay that out of our scholarships so what Potter really saying?
  • I wonder (19/04/2012, 09:43) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    What is the economic costs paid?
  • What about? (19/04/2012, 09:46) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    What is the estimated costs for housing, transportation, meals etc for these UWI students?
  • she the cat mother (19/04/2012, 10:47) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    There is always this fight between UWI and UK and the states. For example if you study law in the UK you are a waste, only good lawyers come from UWI. If you study any other subject in UWI it’s no good you have to study in the states. I say it all depends because I have come across poor lawyers from both UK and UWI. Let’s support our own I say.
    • Jinx (20/04/2012, 09:48) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
      Only a bias person would call down studying in the UK. The UK is better and we should focus on sending our students there.
  • ausar (19/04/2012, 11:07) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Perhaps we can all now realize we need a new permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education. Why would anyone suggest less money for scholarships. Imagine all this advice from a PH.D-er! Less money-no attendance to UWI, Ms. Potter.
    • To Ausar (19/04/2012, 15:47) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      If you understood the system you would agree with her! UWI is billing the BVI Government thousands of dollars every year as economic contribution. The students that attend UWI are pocketing money because cost of living is cheap and tuition is cheaper. She is trying to save us (taxpayers) money fool!
      • Smh (19/04/2012, 20:54) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        Well if she's receiving bills, it obviously means that payments were not made from the date mentioned above, so no money is being lost as yet
      • Well Hmph (19/04/2012, 23:44) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        It should be understood that there are less than 10 Locals at UWI abroad. So it is not a matter of thousands of dollars. Secondly, tuition is not the only fee associated with attending UWI You have tuition and amenity fees as well. Thirdly, the economic cost is actually paid by the students out of the scholarship.
  • mother earth (19/04/2012, 13:11) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    all i got to say is Myron slow down..for your own good!
  • Smh (19/04/2012, 18:47) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    tuition is the only fee associated with attending university? what about the high cost of living? accommodation, meals etc. and no the government does not pay for economic cost, UWI asks students to pay this.
  • no where else (19/04/2012, 21:06) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    look how a Jamaican PS and a Antiguan Minister running we system..shame shame on you locals
  • crazy people (21/04/2012, 19:23) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Bvi soft only place a jamaican can get a per sec work my yute


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