Students attending the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) will be faced with a 7.6 per cent increase in tuition fees when the next academic year begins in September.
This is in keeping with an understanding reached last year that any increase would not exceed the Jamaica inflation rate, according to a press release from the University Council of the UWI yesterday.
At the Cave Hill campus in Barbados, the new fees are just under three per cent higher than last year's for the faculties of Humanities and Education, and the Social Sciences and Science and Technology. There's also a five per cent increase in fees for the Faculty of Law and a 10 per cent increase for the School for Clinical Medicine and Research.
The release added that there was no increase in fees at St. Augustine campus in Trinidad due to the projected increase in student enrolment for 2002/2003.
The tuition fees approved for the next academic year are based on the agreement reached last year and implemented in the current academic year, to have a common fee for all faculties, except the Faculty of Engineering, Law, and Medical Sciences.
Meanwhile, the appointment of vice-chancellor Rex Nettleford was extended by another year from August 1, 2003 to July 31, 2004. Two weeks ago, The Gleaner reported that the university had asked the professor to stay on a little longer.
The University Council also appointed Professor Hilary Beckles as principal of the Cave Hill campus, replacing Sir Keith Hunte, pro vice-chancellor and principal. Professor Elsa Leo-Rhynie, current deputy principal at Mona, has been appointed pro vice-chancellor for undergraduate studies, while Joe Pereira, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Education, has been appointed deputy principal at Mona.
In announcing the other promotions, the University Council appointed Professor Wayne Hunte as pro vice-chancellor in charge of research. He is deputy principal of the Cave Hill campus.
The Council endorsed the UWI's new strategic plan for the next five years, which had been approved by the University Strategic Committee. The plan has several strategic objectives, chief among them being greater student-centredness, reflecting a broad consensus by all the stakeholders of the institution that there was a need to improve the general attitude to students.
The press release added that Professor Nettleford in his annual report referred to affirmative action which had to be taken to reinforce that students are central to the existence of the university.
