More students entering UWI

The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus is reporting a slight increase of about two per cent in student enrollment for this year, albeit with a decline in the number of new students entering the institution.

This disclosure from Principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor for the campus Professor the Most Honourable Eudine Barriteau, who said despite some challenges, the university campus welcomed 6,000 students.

“I am able to report tonight that in spite of a few teething problems, we have been able to commence teaching with a total enrollment of just 6,000 students, a two per cent increase over our enrolled numbers at the start of the last academic year,” Barriteau told the in-house and online audience at this year’s recent Professorial Lecture.

She said: “We were surprised because we were looking for decline, and the numbers are interesting because the new students, the numbers have declined; the continuing students, the numbers have increased”.

She quickly pointed out that greater analysis would be needed “because we suspect that increase may be the number who would have graduated out of the system if we had summer school. So we wait and see how it settles down”.

“We suspect however, that the number, especially of new students, could have been higher but many lower level matriculants have late CXC results. So I say to them, the ones who are now getting their CXC results – and we are hearing on the news of some of the challenges – that we can accommodate your entry to Cave Hill in January 2020,” said Barriteau.

Last year, enrollment numbers reached just over 5,800, a more than 12 per cent increase over the previous year, after Government took the decision to restore the payment of undergraduate tuition fees for citizens attending the UWI.

It is estimated that some 71 per cent of the student population at the Cave Hill Campus are Barbadians.

Professor Barriteau did not say if this remained the same this year or what percentage of overseas students were expected to return to Barbados for their studies.

The Cave Hill Campus is expected to write and issue a new manual on running the campus in a COVID-19 environment.

Disclosing that the campus had spent just over $3 million dollars in getting ready for the current school term, which began several days late, Barriteau also announced that this year’s graduation would take on a blended form, and it will take place early next year.

“There are hundreds of students across the region who this year completed their studies and are now wondering when they will get an opportunity graduate. I can say we will host a blended graduation ceremony on January 16, 2021,” she announced.

“We envision an elegant, socially distanced ceremony in the graduation tent, witnessed by perhaps thousands more joining our live stream to observe that seminal moment when our graduates proudly walk to accept their scroll. So, in a sense the Class of 2020 will graduate in 2021. We have to of course, check in with our new master Covid-19 for final approval so stay tuned for further updates,” she added.

In relation to preparation of the campus for classes last month, Barriteau said it included installing state-of-the art audio visual equipment “so that whether students chose to remain at home in Barbados, or in the Caribbean and beyond, or simply could not secure the required airlift to get here, we would still be able to deliver instruction to them as if they were right here seated in a classroom”.

She said for the first time, the university used an optimized timetable based on an algorithm to allocate classes within the available spaces.

“Lecturers were assigned to teaching times and locations that were not based on their choices, as was customary. As you can imagine, the need for strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocols requiring that students be seated at least six feet apart, meant we had to undertake most careful calibration of teaching spaces,” said Barriteau.

“It was no easy task, and required that many issues be taken into consideration . . . but with precision, Professor [Justin] Robinson, Chair of the Integrated Committee, shepherded this process to enable teaching to get underway on September 14, a mere one week later than originally scheduled,” she added.

The Cave Hill principal said majority of students had already adapted readily to the wearing of masks on campus with very little reminders needed.

The first in the series of Professorial Lecture featured Professor Justin Robinson, Interim Director of the Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management Inc.

This semester is also expected to feature Professors Donna-Maria Maynard, and Philmore Alleyne, and in Semester 2, Professors Troy Lorde, Dwayne Devonish, Aaron Kamugisha and Kahuidi Mabana are expected to join Professor Robinson and the others in presenting their research. (MM)