The rush is on for placement at the Barbados Community College (BCC) and the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic (SJPP), but for many it is already too late.
Registrars Sydney Arthur of the BCC and Julie Martindale of SJPP told the WEEKEND NATION they were being bombarded with late applications, and calls from students and parents.
Arthur said many students were applying for courses that were already too full, noting that some had not regained entry to their respective sixth forms.
BCC’s registrar, speaking from his office at Howells Cross Road, said every year the college had in excess of 3 500 applications, but could only accommodate between 1 200 and 1 300 students.
“For the last few weeks, it has just been calls and emails. Clearly there is a problem in terms of capacity, because even if only half are qualified, there will still be many who are disappointed,” he said.
He noted the college’s popular areas were the “flagship programmes” which constituted business studies, law, sociology, the health science courses, culinary arts, hospitality and computer studies.
“These are the main courses for demand, but all our programmes are oversubscribed. If the intake for a particular subject is 20, sometimes there are 60 or 70 that are qualified,” he noted.
Arthur said the problem was sometimes compounded by those who were expecting to return to their six forms, but had been refused entry.
“Some students have their minds set on going back to school, but when they don’t get in, then they turn to us, but by that time it is too late. They need to apply early, so that even if they don’t get in at their respective schools, they have a chance here.
“I have had parents and students coming here in tears because they don’t know what the child will do for the next year,” he stated.
Martindale said although she was being bombarded and sometimes pressured by parents, the SJPP new school term had already started and the SJPP was taking no more applications.
“I’ve had a lot of parents calling and trying to apply pressure to get their children into different courses, but the classes are very full. We do workshop courses, so a programme can only have about 16 or 17, so when you get a 100 people applying that is where the pressure comes,” she stated.
