The government of Antigua and Barbuda is insisting that a university campus will be opened here in September, whether or not that facility is in any way affiliated with the University of the West Indies (UWI).
Prime Minister Gaston Browne made disclosure on Saturday during an interview on his own radio station, Pointe FM, while noting that several countries within the region are now raising concerns regarding the opening of the fourth landed UWI campus in Five Islands, Antigua.
While he did not note the specific concerns, Browne stated, “They can jump high, jump low. We are opening up the door of our university come September of this year and if they put any obstacle in our way, then we use another brand. It does not have to be UWI.”
The PM suggested that the government decided to use the UWI brand in promotion of regional integration and it is expected that Antigua and Barbuda will get the same support as Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados.
“We want the same thing within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and this is an initiative from which Antigua and Barbuda shall not relent. They can have the concerns, that is fine, but at the end of the day, we have a campus that will be fully funded by a tax and I would like to thank the corporations that will be taxed for their level of support,” Browne said.
He also warned that if Antigua does not get the requisite approvals, “Then we go to another school. I am quite sure that Monroe in the US would like to have a programme with us,” the PM said.