Sir Arthur Lewis Community College.
PRESS RELEASE – The National Students Council is concerned with the manner in which tuition fees were increased for the academic year 2015/2016 at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College.
This remains a major concern for the National Students’ Council along with parents and students whom it directly affects.
The council is particularly disappointed with the insensitivity of the college demonstrated through their tardiness in informing students of adjusted fees less than two (2) weeks from registration and three (3) weeks prior to the commencement of the first semester for most second year students.
This is a clear indication that there is very little value placed on the input of our students when it pertains to such critical decisions.
The NSC is curious about a comment made by Education Minister Hon. Dr Robert Lewis last week in a television interview, when he stated: “there has not been any approval for cost as I know at Sir Arthur”. This stunning revelation has indeed raised a few eyebrows among concerned parties.
The Minister’s pronouncements suggest that the administration of the college failed to act in accordance with The Education Act of 1999 (article 74, section 3, subsections c and e) where it states, “Where a tertiary institution is independently established the Minister may by order provide for- (c) the payment of fees; (e) its management.”
While this apparent serious breach in policy remains unaddressed, the council is awaiting a response from the administration following a request to meet with the board.
This was communicated an entire week ago. It is rather unfortunate that as a nation purportedly founded on democratic principles; we are still challenged by related issues with many of our core institutions. Our youth needs to feel secure knowing that they have the support of a society built on integrity and a high level of transparency. We will no longer feel comfortable guessing because we want answers.
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