ST. LUCIA: The Saint Lucia Government aims to continuously improve the standard of education on island.
In Wednesday’s throne speech, Governor-General of Saint Lucia, H.E. Dame Pearlette Louisy, made reference to the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College’s ongoing journey to establish itself as a University College.
The Governor-General said the effort fell in line with government’s mandate to raise the standard and quality of education, particularly in the tertiary sector.
“The transformation to a University College acknowledges the need to expand tertiary education provision to a wider segment of the population and to enhance the quality of the human resource which will undergird our national development efforts,” she said.
“It is anticipated that legislation establishing the University College will be laid before the House during the 2016-2017 academic year to enable the first entrants to register in August 2017 for the institution’s own Bachelor’s degrees in Business, Education, Humanities, Social Sciences and Nursing.”
She admitted the initiative to establish the Community College as a University College would elicit a great deal of time and effort.
“It will of course take a few years for the institution to be fully established as it consolidates its program offerings and improves the quality and level of its administrative structure, its physical plant, its staffing and support services. The cost of operating an institution of that nature will be significant. The College is in the process of restructuring its operational and financial management systems to meet these needs, but collectively, we as a community will need to determine how these future costs will be met.”
H.E. Dame Pearlette Louisy is a former educator and principal of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College.
