The St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, and his fellow Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Heads of Government gave their support for the proposed establishment of a fourth University of the West Indies (UWI) Campus in Antigua and Barbuda.
Antigua and Barbuda Government announced this month the the UWI campus will be funded by citizenship by investment programme. The New CIP fund option for $150,000 to fund University of West Indies campus. PM Browne made this announcement in the parliament while presenting the C.I.P report for January to June in the Parliament.
Responding to questions from the media at the meeting’s closing press conference, Prime Minister Harris stated that the establishment of a fourth UWI Campus in Antigua and Barbuda could significantly influence the decisions of more OECS nationals to obtain a quality tertiary level education closer to home.
“With the coming of a residential campus in Antigua, we are looking to have better benefits in terms of the affordability and accessibility to our students. Antigua for example is 15-20 minutes travel from St. Kitts and you can easily relate to that in terms of time and distance,” the Prime Minister said, adding that having a campus in Antigua and Barbuda would also allow for greater influence in the shaping of different programmes specific to the needs of the sub-region.
About University of West Indies
The university was founded in 1948, on the recommendation of the Asquith Commission through its sub-committee on the West Indies chaired by Sir James Irvine. The Asquith Commission had been established in 1943 to review the provision of higher education in the British colonies.
The UWI campuses has 36,000 students and 1200 staff across 3 campuses namely in The University of the West Indies, Mona campus at Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, and Cave Hill in Barbados.
The fourth campus is being established at Antigua and Barbuda.
Notable UWI graduates who are, or have been former prime ministers or heads of government:
- Kenny Anthony, former prime minister of St. Lucia
- Owen Arthur, former prime minister of Barbados
- Dean Barrow, prime minister of Belize
- Denzil Douglas, former prime minister of St. Kitts & Nevis
- Rufus Ewing, premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands
- Bruce Golding, former prime minister of Jamaica
- Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- David A. Granger, president of Guyana
- Andrew Holness, prime minister of Jamaica
- Patrick Manning, former prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago
- Hubert Minnis, prime minister of The Bahamas
- Keith Mitchell, prime minister of Grenada
- Joseph Walcott Parry, former premier of Nevis
- P. J. Patterson, former prime minister of Jamaica
- Kamla Persad-Bissessar, first female prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago
- Keith Rowley: prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago
- Lloyd Erskine Sandiford, former prime minister of Barbados
- Kennedy A. Simmonds, former prime minister of St. Kitts & Nevis
- Orlando Smith, chief minister of the British Virgin Islands
- Freundel Stuart, former prime minister of Barbados
- David Thompson, former prime minister of Barbados
