Ross University was not a Government ‘plan’ – Drakes

An Opposition senator is charging that the introduction of Ross University to Barbadian shores is nothing for Barbados to boast about as it was an ad hoc investment opportunity to Dominica’s detriment as a result of 2017 hurricane season.

Senator Crystal Drakes in her response to the debate at Planning and Development Bill 2019 said that Barbados must not mislead Barbadians that Ross University was a planned strategy when it was a mere ad hoc opportunity.

“To give the impression that the investment of Ross University was something that was aggressively done by Government as they had these plans and aspirations for educational tourism in Barbados is misleading. The point about Ross University it was almost ad hoc and then on the backdrop of that we had to find space for those persons to come into Barbados,” Drakes said, adding that Barbados had to take into consideration the environmental impact that an increase in economic activity has on the island.

“When we have an increase in economic activity like that, we have to take into consideration how the students, the lecturers and all of the things that go along with it will place a greater demand on energy, water resources as they will generate waste. Have we accounted for these factors when we have these ad hoc introductions into our economic activity?” she asked.

She said Barbados cannot have the way in which one allocates land disjointed from the way in which you are trying to chart the way forward for economic activity.

Three weeks ago, Ross University was launched in Barbados welcoming 1350 students and staff.