“A University town” that will be a key driver of prosperity is the vision Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar has for Debe. Describing herself as a “quintessential UWI person,” having been both

student and lecturer at all three Main Campuses at Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad, she seemed pleased with the plans for expansion of access to tertiary education to the South. The Prime Minister was speaking at the ceremony for the

dedication of lands and unveiling of a commemorative plaque for The University of the West Indies St. Augustine - South Campus Penal/Debe on a humid afternoon on Thursday 24 February at the Debe High School.

Minister Fazal Karim outlinedGovernment plans for tertiary education

UWI expands to Penal/Debe B y A n n A W A l C o T T - H A r D y

Welcome to The new University Town

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago,Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar with UWI St Augustine Campus Principal Professor Clement Sankat

Naparima Boys’ High School Steelpan Group at theUWI South Campus Official Opening function

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2 UWI TODAY – SUNDAY 6TH MARCH, 2011

WELCOME TO THE NEW UNIVERSITY TOWN

Tobago, Prof Maxwell Richards, The UWI St Augustine Campus Principal Professor Clement Sankat focused on development of UWI to the South of Trinidad as well as the expansion of offerings in Tobago. He underscored the benefits the new Campus extension would bring to the people of the “Southland,” explaining that empirical evidence had supported the need for expansion of the St. Augustine Campus.

Having experienced rapid growth in the past decade from approximately 7,000 students in 2000 to nearly 17,000 in this academic year, the institution has been strategizing on ways to maintain quality while expanding access. It is obvious that the University has been focused on development of electronic (e) learning, construction of new buildings, while maintaining a green campus. But limited capacity and resources have made it an undeniably immense challenge. There are long-standing issues including: parking, housing and traffic congestion in and around the Campus. It’s no surprise that the 50-year-old institution has strategically looked towards the obvious.

B r o A D e r A C C e S S T o T e r T I A r y l e v e l e D U C AT I o n

From previous pageBounded by Papourie road on the east, San Fernando

erin road on the West and the M2 ring road on the South, the Campus lands resemble a Hinkson watercolour, awash with warm greens, burnt umber and ochre. The rolling hills of the former Picton estate – still planted with cane – recall a time when sugar was king. In fact, the Usine St Madeleine factory is located not too far from the site, and if you drive past the high school you are at the popular Debe “doubles” stretch, with the historically rich, Gandhi village, a few miles away.

In october 2010, Minister of Science Technology and Tertiary education, Fazal Karim, put forward a Cabinet note on the allocation of lands for a south campus for The UWI, the proposal looked at a 100-acre parcel of land in the vicinity of Debe. on october 14, 2010 Cabinet agreed. An allocation of $TT2 million was included in the national Budget to support the development of the Campus.

Speaking at the Ceremony, before 1,000 guests, including the President of the republic of Trinidad and

“Despite the increasing competitive environment in which we are placed, statistics on applications for entry into UWI have also demonstrated a robust demand over the years and the St. Augustine Campus was only able to offer places to 70 per cent of its highly qualified applicants in 2010/2011,” Pro vice Chancellor Sankat explained.

“In a 2007 planning report on the findings of a national survey to measure public perceptions of The University of the West Indies n Trinidad and Tobago, at least 75 per cent of the persons surveyed agreed that The University of the West Indies should establish a Campus in Tobago. Further, 67 per cent believed that the UWI should establish a Campus in South Trinidad,” he added.

But what do the people of the area really think about the new Campus? With 38 feeder schools in the counties of St Patrick, victoria and the districts of rio Claro and Mayaro, high-performing institutions with students and teachers that continue to look to UWI for higher education, interviews were easy to come by and the interviewees were politely frank with their answers.

Niala Seudatsingh, a 17-year-old student of Parvati Hindu College, is looking forward to the opening of the new Campus in 2013; she explained why: her mother spends about two hours in traffic every day to drive her sister to classes at UWI St Augustine.

Safety officer at Debe High School, Mustapha Mohammed has two daughters enrolled at The UWI. Although he spoke warmly of the financial benefits of the new Campus for southerners, he added that currently there are rising associated expenses for St Augustine students: rent, food and travel.

“one you’re looking at in terms of statistics…in terms of physical arrangements…and a sense of security for the public, the community,” were some of the advantages Fyzabad Secondary High School Principal, Troy Jebodhsingh, also a UWI graduate (1992) listed.

Debe High School Principal, Romeo Gunness, knows first-hand the transportation and scheduling issues associated with studying at UWI and living in Penal, having gained an undergraduate degree in 1990 from UWI and a Master’s degree in education in 1997.

“It was stressful, but rewarding in the end…opportunities like those make you value opportunities like these… [the South Campus] it’s excellent motivation for our students, it’s a physical presence to work towards.”

Acting vice-Principal of Debe High School another UWI graduate, Arlene Dwarika, welcomed the launch of the new Campus. She said that the UWI Campus, which will be located next to the 10-year-old Debe High School

Speaking at the dedication ceremony were from left, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, UWI Chancellor, Sir George Alleyne, Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education, Fazal Karim,and St Augustine Campus Principal, Prof Clement Sankat.

continued on next pagePresident of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Prof Maxwell Richards with Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago,Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar

SUNDAY 6TH MARCH, 2011 – UWI TODAY 3

(officially opened by the current Prime Minister when she was then Minister of education), has a sixth form class of about 40 students. each year, approximately 15 enroll at UWI and about 20 attend the University of Trinidad and Tobago.

“The availability of land and Government land is an issue: San Fernando is totally cluttered…but this [South Campus] is a very strategic location…it is a wonderful idea and just ten to fifteen minutes from San Fernando,” Dwarika explained.

However, having gained both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from UWI, she recalled that traveling to and from the Campus was a challenge. She also recommends having a wide range of programme offerings at the South Campus and not those solely confined to law.

In fact, the Faculty of law is just one of the six faculties that will be represented at the Campus: engineering, Science and Agriculture, Humanities and education, Social Sciences and Medicine will all become present. During his presentation, the Campus Principal noted that UWI was aware of these needs, stating that another empirical study reflected the job opportunities in the south of the island, which, based

on demand, included Management Studies, Psychology, economics, law, Social Work, Information Technology, nursing, Finance, Accounting, engineering and those in the manufacturing and industry based fields. There are plans for technological advances also.

“The Campus will boast modern technology which would grant students access to a variety of learning methods, databases, and collaborative tools. Furthermore, it is our intention for the Campus itself to be a beacon of social awareness and innovation, and to be a Green Campus, which is energy and resource efficient. My hope is that this Campus can be the first in Trinidad and Tobago which is at least partially powered by solar energy,” Minister Fazal Karim stated.

The Minister added that the Campus will be a southern academic hub catering for an outflow of 4,100 qualified students from 38 secondary schools in the Southern basin.

Universities have continued to evolve from the ancient Greek/roman model of master/student to the apprenticeship model of the renaissance, to the virtual school, but according to UWI Chancellor, Sir George Alleyne, at UWI there is a blend of both: a physical locus as the centre of dissemination and a locus for human interaction.

The South Campus will promote both.

WELCOME TO THE NEW UNIVERSITY TOWN

For just over 50 years, the St. Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI) has stood its ground, growing out of the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (ICTA) from which it incarnated with a Faculty of Agriculture, to a robust and bustling campus offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes through five faculties: engineering, Humanities and education, Medical Sciences, Science and Agriculture and Social Sciences.

The growth has been achieved in spurts, each one based on the needs of the time. At some junctures it was propelled by the need to widen offerings to meet regional demands for a broader skills base. one could refer to these as phases of intellectual development, just as it could be said that the periods where the concentration was on construction of new buildings were those of infrastructural development.

There had to be places and spaces to accommodate the minds that have consistently been invited to find intellectual nourishment within the precincts of the Campus since it was ICTA of the University College of the West Indies.

That young minds have eagerly accepted the invitation is without dispute, as the demand for places in the University has been unrelenting since its inception. every year the graduation exercises prove this, with ceremonies now having to be split into six separate functions to accommodate over 3,000 graduates ready to take on the world.

Supporting this growth through the Campus’ current facilities has been progressively challenging – so many factors influence capacity. The much heralded beauty of St. Augustine’s lush and precious greenery, a legacy from the ICTA days, is not only worthy of preservation for its aesthetic value, but because it provides a vital green space in an environment constantly under threat from urbanization and its often unfriendly relationship with nature.

one element of this is the increase in traffic congestion, and the Campus, locked within its own grid, is a site of daily hassle as streams of cars try to get in and out via two exits

that lead to very inadequate road spaces. Those cars coming in and out are also looking for spaces to park their bodies while their owners go about their business on the campus.

Students, particularly, are distressed by these transportation woes, and although The UWI has done all it can to alleviate it by adding car parks, providing shuttle services, expanding student accommodation to help with the commute, increasing security to protect life and vehicle, there is only so much that can be done in the face of ever increasing recruitment.

Certainly, further physical expansion of the Campus at St. Augustine is difficult and for The UWI to continue to provide its unique services to tertiary education, innovative solutions had to be found.

B y C A r l e n e l o n D o n

HoW THeSoUTh CAMPUS

CAMe To PASS

St Augustine Campus Principal and Pro Vice Chancellor,Prof Clement Sankat addresses the large gathering.

From previous page

After the formal part of the ceremony inside the Debe high School, guests were invited to walk across to the site where the commemorative plaque was unveiled.

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago,Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar with UWI Chancellor,Sir George Alleyne

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To view/download photos, please visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theuwi/sets/72157626055939125/To view/download speeches, please visit: http://sta.uwi.edu/news/releases/release.asp?id=774

4 UWI TODAY – SUNDAY 6TH MARCH, 2011

After a period of intensive structural development in and around St. Augustine, spearheaded by the former Principal and now Pro vice Chancellor for Planning, Dr. Bhoendradatt Tewarie, the current Principal and Pro vice Chancellor, Prof Clement Sankat shifted his focus to expanding outside of what was generally viewed as the university town.

It was a shift based on a desire to broaden access to tertiary level education as a whole; to take education out to what has traditionally been seen as rural communities. This was in line with the Government’s target of achieving a participation rate of 60% of the relevant cohort in tertiary education. out of this philosophy, studies to explore needs and feasibility were commissioned.

As part of the preparation of the current University Strategic Plan 2007-2012, the St. Augustine Planning Task Force submitted a report in January 2007 that included a compilation of data, part of which was based on a series of surveys undertaken with both internal and external stakeholders. The report on the findings of a national Survey to measure public perceptions of The UWI in Trinidad & Tobago indicated that at least 75.5% of the persons surveyed agreed that The UWI should establish a Campus in Tobago. Further, 66.8% believed that The UWIshould establish a Campus in South Trinidad. The response corroborated the ongoing support for the idea of a south Campus that was heard from both inside and outside of the University.

A 2008 study conducted by the Business Development office at the St. Augustine Campus on “Addressing Student needs for University education in South Trinidad” commissioned by Prof Sankat, concluded that a second Campus, located in the country’s southern region, would extend the University’s reach and would respond to the needs of key south-based industrial and business sectors, while at the same time serving to reduce the congestion at the St. Augustine Campus.

The commissioned studies have shown that the supply derived from the existence of a large number of feeder schools in the selected area total at least 38 high schools in the counties of St. Patrick, victoria and the South eastern districts of rio Claro and Mayaro. These schools included some of the leading and emerging high-performing secondary schools in Trinidad. The studies also indicated that a cross-section of the existing workforce in the region required opportunities for continuous learning and upgrade of skills.

In 2010, the Minister of Science Technology and Tertiary education, Senator Fazal Karim expressed the Government’s desire for the establishment of a South campus that would seek to broaden access to tertiary level education in the southern region of Trinidad and deliver programmes catering to the specific needs of the southern region and the wider economy.

In response to the Government’s request for expansion of tertiary education into the Southern region of the country, Prof Sankat at the initial stage, prepared and submitted to Minister Karim a short paper on the ‘location Selection Criteria for a South Campus of The UWI St. Augustine Campus’.

on october 14th 2010, the Cabinet agreed to the allocation of a 100-acre parcel of State land in the Penal/Debe area, as well as TT $2million to support the development of a St. Augustine South Campus, under the Ministry of

Science Technology and Tertiary education and the Public Sector Investment Programme. The allocated land is of ideal location, as it exists at the crossroads of direct access roads and highways to connect to the north and the main Campus at St. Augustine to San Fernando and with the construction of the new highway extended from San Fernando to Point Fortin, the other areas in the deeper southern region will be linked.

not acting as an independent campus, but rather an extension of the St. Augustine Campus, the South Campus, will deliver startup programmes such as Management Studies, Psychology, economics, education and law based on the evidenced demand of its studies. Phase one of the development will include the establishment of the flagship Faculty of law to accommodate approximately 450 students; a multi-faculty building that will be fully equipped for multi-mode learning; the building of a student dormitory and student union building; as well as other sporting and recreational facilities.

Plans are still being developed and consultations are still taking place, but with 100 acres already earmarked and a will to begin the process, it is only a matter of time before another cohort of graduates will boast of being the first to emerge from the south.

It is part of the thrust to take education out to the people. It is part of the university’s drive to continue to be relevant, responsive and ready to meet the challenges of development. It is part of what makes The UWI St Augustine the people’s campus.

WELCOME TO THE NEW UNIVERSITY TOWN

UWI’s musical director, Jessel Murray with members of the steel ensemble.

At left, Deputy Campus Principal, Prof Rhoda Reddock, former (Ag) Campus Principal, Prof Emeritus, Bridget Brereton,and Campus Principal, Prof Clement Sankat.

A section of the audience.

From previous page

UWI St Augustine South Campus Penal/DebeCommemorative Plaque