Ending The Antagonism toward CXC CAPE and The University of the West Indies.
One may recall former Minister of Education Vince Henderson being very undiplomatically antagonistic towards both The UWI and CXC CAPE program.
One would have thought that those who promote Caribbean integration would have embraced and harness these two existing systems and icons of excellence in the region (CXC and The UWI) in order to create a formidable State College. Alas, the logic of the shallow and arrogant confounds the wisdom itself!
It is fitting to quote a 26th August 2010 article on DNO which provides evidence of CAPE being recommended by our own senior education technocrat 11 years ago!
“Max Andrew (May, 2003) a Senior Education Planner in the Ministry of Education, was delegated to provide a rationale for the introduction of CAPE at the State College. Following Andrew’s conclusions and recommendations he stated: ‘It is therefore being recommended that a policy decision be made to adopt CAPE as part of the Curriculum of the Dominica State College.’
In addition he emphasized that: ‘There is absolutely no reason why CAPE cannot be taught together with the Associate Degree (AD) Programme’.”
From September 2011, DSC has, with varying degrees of reluctance, accommodated some of our bright students with a supplemental GCE A’Level programme in the afternoons from about 4:30 to 6:30 pm weekdays, and some laboratory practice on Saturdays. This is at tremendous extra cost to parents and students:
- There is a financial burden on parents for tuition above and higher than that of normal tuition costs at the college,
- The hours during which the programme is accommodated is both
- hard on students who have completed a whole day of lectures for the associate degree (AD) programme, and
- very inconvenient for students living out of the greater Roseau area and therefore shuts “country” students out of a vital education privilege.
There is a tremendous resistance by the DSC administration to more fully streamline the DSC AD and A’ Level programmes. Given the 70-80% commonality of content, there is no reason why the two programmes (AD & A’ Level) cannot be taught fully in the day with well managed options to accommodate more students, provide greater efficiency for DCS itself, and significantly reduce cost to parents. There is no reason why CAPE is not taken on board instead of GCE.
Clearly, for whatever motive, the politicians sitting in government, against the technical recommendations from the Ministry of Education, are placing our many Dominican young people at a disadvantage to the rest of the Caribbean youths by depriving them of the CXC CAPE or GCE A’ Level experience.
When one undertakes a financial comparison between studying at The UWI and the USA, or even China for that matter, the absurdity that surrounds this antagonism towards Caribbean institutions is incomprehensible.
The full cost, tuition and living expenses of undertaking an engineering education at UWI St Augustine is about US$13,300.00 annually even if the government does not pay the economic costs! With economic cost paid, Engineering is US $ 11,800.00 annually, Medicine is US $34,600.00 and all other faculties US $ 10,900.00. Say EC $95,000.00 for a 3 year engineering programme with economic fee paid, and EC$ 105,000.00 if the government defaults as is now the case.
DNO’s article “Over 130 Dominican students benefit from Chinese scholarships” of 22nd September 2014 quotes Mrs Justina Charles as saying that the cost of educating 135 Dominicans in China is $19,000,000.00. This is EC$ 140,700.00 (US $ 51,800) per student, over 45% more than what it costs at The UWI to complete a similar course! This does not include all the extra funds sent to the student by family.
The President of DSC highlights, on DSC’s website, about four US colleges with which “the College currently has articulation and transfer agreements, [viz] the State University of NY in Plattsburgh, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Grambling State University, Wheelock College in Boston Massachusetts”. The average annual cost for tuition only for these colleges is US $20,500.00 and average total annual cost being US $ 35,300.00. In other words, it costs about the same to do a three year programme at The UWI as it costs for one year at an average US university or college of average repute! Also, the cost to do medicine at UWI is the same to do social sciences at the average US college promoted by DSC! By comparison, highly sought after US universities like Cornelland MIT on the average cost annually about US $61,000.00.
The UWI Online programmes on The UWI Open Campus is even more affordable, but sadly not promoted by our state institution or government!
One can definitely fault The UWI for not adequately marketing itself. But how can our government and the government owned and operated Dominica State College be antagonistic to Caribbean Educational Institutions of higher education of good repute?
It is rather unfortunate that the Dominica State College conspicuously promotes US universities while it is either noticeably silent about or antagonistic towards The UWI, The University of Technology (UTEC) in Jamaica or any other Caribbean institution of repute! It is hope that, at the policy-making level in this country, we will have grown to sufficiently in maturity to understand that this seemly antagonistic attitude toward these prestigious institutions only hurt our county. The UWI and CXC CAPE continue to grow in excellence without us!
One only has to understand the amount of foreign exchange being systematically and deliberately channelled out of the region to appreciate the level of betrayal. But this pales when one considers how our poor struggling parents are enticed to spend 200% to 300% more for a US university education that is generally not superior or equal to that of The UWI.
The way to the next level in tertiary education is to forge better links with good quality Caribbean Institutions in order to grow confidence in the DSC, reduce the cost of university education to the populace, and to give our young people a chance to develop linkages and network with future regional leaders for a great economic union.
Mr. Leblanc you raise some good points, but some of your numbers i think are exaggerated. First of all when making such an argument please put references to all your statistics so it can be more credible and we can check your facts.
When i was applying to colleges back in 2000 it was cheaper to attend some US institutions than UWI.
I must admit some of the classes i took in the US college were our high school level. That is because we are challenged at a higher level. However, we must note that US colleges partner with private sector and state to ensure that the education is designed to meet needs of the state. Moving to the next level, ie masters and phd where research, and technology is the mode of the day one cannot compare US institutions and UWI. At the post graduate level most US colleges offer fellowships and Teaching assistants. Many masters and phd students pay a small fraction of real cost.
Today, UWI is yet to provide results in our ever-changing world when it comes to research and development. If it does, then i have not heard much. We are good at theoretical knowledge. They have done well in agri research and thats about it. It takes US scientists to tell us coconut oil is the healthiest. I think most people who go to the US to study do it for the opportunities its offers post graduation which will not be possible in the Caribbean. The facts of Calculus, physics, maths, biology etc does not change no matter what institution you go to. What is important. Is how can you use that education to better yourself and country.
Go online:
1.http://sta.uwi.edu/resources/documents/UndergraduateFeeBklt.pdf ( UWI St Augustine Campus, Undergraduate Financial Information 2014-2015)
2. money.cnn.com/tools/collegecost/collegecost.html (Annual cost of any US university or College).
See for yourself.
Please address the gentleman as “Dr. Vince Henderson.” I understand the point you are bringing across but you can’t write such a lengthy article on “our education policy” with all those statistics but fail to address the gentleman appropriately; failing to recognize his huge EDUCATIONAL achievement.
He was referred to as former Education Minister; in his former capacity. At that time he was not a Phd. Stop being so petty. We did not have a Dr. Vince Henderson at Education Minister…
This is so sad. While the gentleman advanced on the backs of Dominica tax payers. So many Dominican students are being denied access due to his policies as education minister.
@ PhD student in the U.S.:
Anthony Leblanc addressed two persons in the article and respectfully named them by their first and last names. What really is your point?
We are too petty sometimes. Yes, he might be Dr. Vince Henderson but his name is still Vince Henderson. I sure hope that when you get your doctorate, you will remember that your first and last names will remain with you. It is who you are! The title Dr. will be added but that doesn’t change who you are. Don’t let a title get to you head.
You are so right. Many of the US colleges cannot compare to the quality of education given by UWI. Some of us simply think that a US College is a US college. You only truly understand it when you have studied there.
That’s why I always ask persons why does Midwestern State University attract so many international students? Simply, it is not a high-level tiered school and so will not attract top students. So, international students are offered all sorts of goodies such as ‘in-state’ tuition to attract them.
If I had to do it all over again, I would have attended UWI.
I would recommend UWI to any student.
Point of Order: To compare U.S education as inferior to UWI is a narrow-minded and very faulty comparison; there is NO rational instrument to attempt such a measurement. On the contrary, UWI lacks (significantly) in some program courses to even match that of the U.S or Canada’s standard or quality of education.