(SNO) – One week after the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) announced an increase in tuition and fees for the 2018-2019 academic year, the Board of the institution has resigned, according to sources.
The increase in fees was announced in a letter addressed to students and parents on the SALCC’s website on July 31.
The decision to increase is pending Cabinet approval.
The college said the reasons for the increase are to better meet its increasing cost obligations, facilitate the transition of the college to “university college status”, and to remain competitive, among other factors.
Though it is not confirmed that the resignations are linked to the increase, sources say this was likely a factor. The education minister has accepted the resignation and a new Board is likely to be named within a week’s time, according to sources.
At a press briefing on Monday, August, 6, Senior Communications Officer in the Office of the Prime Minister, Nicole McDonald, indicated that the government had met the Board of SALCC following the announcement. She said the meeting was to determine the strategic direction of the college.
McDonald said: “That’s exactly what has been going on in terms of getting to the point of we having a university. So I would imagine that blow by blow the management will take the Cabinet through what has been done thus far in terms of becoming a university. We know that there has been challenges with the location of the college. The college had to move because of certain issues with the building where they are at to a secondary school recently because of some of the issues of mold. So we do have issues with the actual structure that are concerning.”
She added: “Tertiary education can be very expensive, and this college goes back, way back in terms of providing initially that education to our people. Now, we have more options in terms of where people get their education. People can get it online, people can, you know, there are lots of different avenues. But in the beginning, what we had, was Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. So, we have some questions in terms of how has the college grown in light of the environment, the current educational environment that we operating in, in terms of technological advances. In terms of the actual courses that they offer. Are those courses in keeping with the economic and social developments of our country?”
McDonald disclosed that the government contributes $15 millions in subsidies to the college and that the hike in fees will be reviewed.
“If you making a 15-million dollar contribution to something, you would need a level of accountability and a level of explanation. As you would be aware, even something like a fee increase by the college, a lot of people still do think it is a government decision. So, we have to get involved in terms of understanding, and in terms of maybe proposing something different to the college. Maybe some kind of incremental increase, while you explain to the people why you’re increasing the fee,” she said.
(3)
(1)The post Gov’t to review tuition increase with SALCC; Board resigns a week after hike in fees appeared first on St. Lucia News Online.