The move by the present administration to make Barbadian students attending the University of the West Indies pay tuition fees has been hailed as “one of the best things to happen”.
And veteran trade unionist Robert “Bobby” Morris, who expressed that view, has cautioned that even if Barbados’ economy returns to a healthy state, the Government should never again support the notion of free university education.
Morris made the comments as he delivered the tenth annual Samuel Jackman Prescod Memorial Lecture in the auditorium of the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic (SJPP) on Thursday night.
Speaking on the topic National And Regional Development And The Need For Massive Shifts In Educational Policy, Morris said it was not an issue of making students pay, but rather that Government could not afford to continue to pay the costs.