Trinidad and Tobago’s apparent isolation from the world is beginning to take its toll on some Barbadian students unable to continue their education after fleeing the twin-island republic earlier this year.
Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM, David Comissiong, meanwhile, contends that the free movement of people across the interdependent island chain has only worsened with the collapse of the regional COVID-19 travel bubble. He has suggested that it’s time for regional heads to return to the negotiating table on behalf of their people.
On March 21, the Keith Rowley administration announced the closure of its international borders to all travellers, including Trinidad and Tobago nationals, at midnight on Sunday, March 22.
Having learned of the pending situation days before, droves of foreigners, including Barbadian students, departed the Southern Caribbean country, with the expectation that they would return when the country’s COVID-19 situation was under control. Nine months later, the rigid border policies that have been aimed at containing the spread of viral illness are still in place.
A Barbadian dental student, enrolled at the St. Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), who did want to be identified, revealed that online classes are not an option for that field of study, and as a result, non-nationals have been asked to defer their studies for a year.
The frustrated third-year student, however, complained that having deferred studies in 2016 at the university’s request, a further delay would add a seventh year to an academic journey ordinarily expected to last five.
“Most of the students agreed that a deferral isn’t fair, because that is usually a personal decision that is taken if you get pregnant, somebody dies, or if you are experiencing financial difficulties, not because you have refused to let me back into the country,” the student explained.
The other option presented to the dental students is to leave their personal belongings, including thousands of dollars in medical equipment in Trinidad and transfer to UWI’s Mona Campus in Jamaica. This proposal has also been rejected by the students, because of uncertainty about the status of their degrees at Mona, which follows a different programme structure.
“My mother has spent a lot of money and we have made a big investment for me to be in Trinidad for five years. All of my stuff is in Trinidad. I don’t have clothes in Barbados. Right now, I have to borrow clothes.
“I spent US$5,000 on my dental instruments and they are in Trinidad. Everything I own is in Trinidad, so even if I wanted to go to a different campus, I don’t have my stuff. Who am I supposed to trust to ship my stuff to a different location that I am unfamiliar with?” the student asked.
Meanwhile, the student’s Trinidadian classmates are preparing to return to the classroom in early January to complete labs and other practical elements of the course. The seven non-nationals in the class including Barbadians, Bahamians, Antiguans and Anguillans will be left out.
According to sources, numerous attempts to seek travel exemptions from the Rowley administration for the students have been denied.
“I don’t know why Trinidad is so hell-bent on remaining closed, because they are closed and their cases are still increasing. Other Caribbean islands that have reopened are not in their predicament. It is stressful. The uncertainty is stressful, not only on students but on parents as well.
“It would be different if Trinidad was in a dire situation and no one could go to school, but for them to be able to go to school and I can’t simply because you would not let me back in after you strongly advised that I return to my country, is just not fair,” the student contended.
Students say efforts to secure assistance from the Ministry of Education, which is sponsoring the tuition costs, have been to no avail.
When contacted, Ambassador Commissiong promised to assist the students with special arrangements between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries.
This, he noted, was due to the collapse of the CARICOM COVID-19 bubble that, in his opinion, is in desperate need of rebuilding.
“It calls for more work on our part, but in the meantime, where Barbadian citizens have specific needs and concerns, I think we need to address them on an individual basis. If they come and see me, I would be happy to look into the matter on their behalf,” promised Comissiong.
“The position across the region is so complicated that it is difficult to say what the protocols or arrangements are in any one particular member state, which is regrettable. Really and truly we should have a collective position with protocols that apply to everybody so that citizens of the CARICOM Community have certainty.
“Unfortunately, that is not the case right now and so I would think that the Government of Barbados would need to address specific cases and needs and concerns of different categories of Barbadian citizens on an individual basis,” he added.
Students are reportedly pitching their hopes on a flight that is supposed to be coming to the country in January for students graduating from the Cave Hill Campus.
Efforts by them to get help and guidance from the administration and Guild of Students at St. Augustine were said to have been unsuccessful.
(kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)
