[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ecturers at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College on October 25 and 26 stayed away from classes, blaming illness caused by their poor working conditions. On October 31 they further expressed their dissatisfaction via a protest demonstration in the college grounds at Morne Fortune, Castries. President of the Saint Lucia Teachers’ Union, Julian Monrose and Cyprian Montroupe, President of the Civil Service Association, joined the teachers in their cry that “Enough is enough!” Following the protest, SLTU representatives met with the SALCC board. It was agreed that the college would undergo deep cleaning to deal with air quality issues and mould. The college proceeded on semester break from November 1 to 6, during which time the work was done.
Education minister Gale Rigobert described the disruption as regrettable but noted that in some circumstances it takes time to mobilize the necessary resources. Concerning the way forward for SALCC’s transition to a university college, it remains unclear how this
will be done. At a press conference last month, UWI’s Vice Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles indicated that despite numerous failed attempts at partnering the regional institution with SALCC, he remained hopeful that the conversation would continue.
In an interview with Dr. Rigobert, she told the STAR: “I know that there were concerns and some anxiety about what was perceived
back then as a kind of a UWI takeover of SALCC. But the UWI charter states that if the campus is resident in your country, it is the government that has jurisdiction over it. Any engagement regarding a physical campus being placed in Saint Lucia or any partnership with SALCC, does not and cannot amount to a hostile takeover. So we have to quell, nullify, and debunk that notion early.”
The minister says she is equally excited about engaging UWI in a mutually beneficial relationship but indicated discussions have been held with numerous other institutions regarding a partnership with SALCC. Some of the other institutions include the University of Guyana, Monroe College and George Brown College. SALCC’s transition to a university, she says, will be done with “the best suitor” who aligns with the government’s strategic direction.
Said Dr. Rigobert: “The question I have asked at board meetings, and I continue to ask of stakeholders, not just UWI, is: What is the nature of the partnership? Critical to defining that are two considerations: the right price point for our Saint Lucian students, and opportunity for student and academic exchange; in other words you can do a semester in Saint Lucia and do another in a campus oversees.”
The minister insists that there is no hesitation to engage with UWI and, on a recent trip to Trinidad & Tobago, there were “productive preliminary meetings” with representatives from the university, including Chancellor Robert Bermudez and Vice Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles.
