Trinidad and Tobago announces 'free university education for all'- but at what cost to private and foreign

providers? The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), Patrick Manning, recently announced in his 2005/06 national budget statement that, as of 1 January 2006, access to public tertiary institutions will be free-of-charge to all T&T nationals. Following the launch of the Governmental Assistance for Tertiary Expenses (GATE) programme, the establishment of the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), and the creation of the National Accreditation Council (ACTT, a quality assurance mechanism for all higher education institutions), this move is in line with the T&T government's growing efforts to increase access to post-secondary education and enhance the quality of provision. The announcement has been met with some opposition from private providers (not included in the move) who fear that they might lose students to public institutions. What are the details behind the recent announcement, and which initiatives have been undertaken as part of the T&T government's broader capacitybuilding strategy? What are the potential implications for foreign and private providers operating in the country, and for the higher education sector at large? The T&T government recently announced the abolition of tuition fees for all T&T nationals studying at public tertiary education institutions as of 1 January 2006. The government had indicated plans to introduce free tuition in last year's (2004/05) budget statement, but this was not anticipated to take effect before 2008. The stated rationale is the 'rapid improvement' of the country's economy. The list of eligible institutions currently includes ten public and government-subsidised institutions. In the absence of a comprehensive list of all public tertiary education institutions in T&T, it is difficult to assess whether this includes all public institutions. The Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education (STTE) recently indicated that the government is also considering extending free education to domestic private institutions, but this will be "subject to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the institution and the Ministry" with the terms in the MOU including "quality and standards of the institutions and the programmes offered." It is unclear which players were invited to take part in the consultation process, but private education providers were reportedly not involved. This announcement is in line with the T&T government's 'Vision 2020', a plan aimed at achieving 'developed country' status by 2020. The country is one of the most prosperous countries in the Caribbean, mainly due to its petroleum and natural gas production and processing. A growth in GDP of 5.7% was recorded for 2004, up from the sustained annual average of 3.9% between 1996-2000, with reportedly promising prospects for long-term economic growth. The Vision 20/20 strategy places an emphasis on tertiary education and training. The three main objectives are to increase access, ensure equality of opportunity and enhance quality. T&T's tertiary sector is characterised by limited access, mainly due to a highly dispersed population and a wide socio-economic gap with only the wealthier segments of the population enrolling in tertiary education. Only approximately 7-8% of the national population is engaged in tertiary education, which is well below other countries in the region (e.g. Costa Rica has a 20% rate of participation). The government hopes to achieve a tertiary participation rate of 60% by 2015, which is well above the 15% target of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a Caribbean organisation designed to promote coordinated and sustained economic development in the region. T&T's growing capacity problem has significantly hindered participation. Until recently (see below), the higher education system consisted of one public university (the University of West Indies-UWI), and a host of technological institutes and specialised and teacher training colleges (a comprehensive list and the total number of these is not available). The University was established in 1948 as the University College of the West Indies (UCWI), an affiliate of the

The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, October 2005

University of London. It currently comprises three campuses in Jamaica (Mona), Trinidad (St. Augustine) and Barbados (Cave Hill), as well as centres on other islands. The UWI serves 14 English-speaking countries in the Caribbean, which all contribute to the financing of the university and subsidise 80% of their respective students' tuition fees. Its 2004/05 total oncampus and off-campus enrolment was over 25,500 and 5,000 respectively. Enrolment at the UWI St. Augustine campus almost doubled from 6,254 in 1999/00 to 10,168 in 2003/04. The private sector, which comprises 21 domestic providers (according to 2003 UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC) data), also absorbs some of the demand. Data on the number of students enrolled in private establishments as compared to public institutions is not available. The growth of private providers has not stopped the flow of students out of the country, contributing to a significant brain drain problem. 3,127 T&T nationals were studying in the United States in 2002-3, up 17.2% from the previous year. The UK is also a popular destination for T&T students with 685 T&T students at UK institutions in 2003/04. Previous efforts to improve the accessibility of tertiary education in T&T have included the launch of the Governmental Assistance for Tertiary Expenses (GATE) programme. GATE was created in 2004 to cover up to 100% of tuition fees in public universities (based on financial need). The programme also provides financial assistance of up to T&T$5,000 (US$800) per annum for students attending private tertiary institutions. Only students attending private institutions registered with the Ministry of STTE are eligible (for the latter part of GATE), although the approval process for private institutions remains unclear. GATE replaced the "Dollar for Dollar" programme, which only covered up to f50% of tuition fees and did not apply to students in private tertiary institutions. In 2004/05, the GATE programme had 24,434 beneficiaries in total (13,940 in 15 public and 10,494 in 25 private institutions), and this number is expected to double in 2006. After 2006, GATE will continue to subsidise students enrolled in institutions excluded from the list of tuition-free providers. With a significant proportion of tertiary graduates seeking employment abroad, T&T lacks specialised skills training and is thus significantly dependant on foreign labour in certain professions (notably for the oil and gas industry, which dominates the country's economy). The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) was established in 2004 to address burgeoning demand and bridge the existing skills gap. The UTT offers specialised programmes in "offshore technologies" (namely refining, gas processing and marketing, and petroleum management, among others) up to a Master's degree level. The University has received 'significant funding' from both the public and private sectors (e.g. British Petroleum is a major investor) and has been given the power to create spin off companies, raise capital and build endowments. The UTT offers joint degree programmes with a number of foreign providers, including Spain's Repsol Instituto Superior de la Energia and UK Heriot-Watt University. UTT had an enrolment of 1,600 in its first year of operation, with 3,100 students expected to enrol in 2005/06. It currently charges fees which range from T&T$16,000-36,000 (US$2,558-5,756) with the amount doubled for international students (as the university is on the list of institutions that will become tuition-free for T&T nationals, the impact on international students remains unclear). Tuition fees are considerably higher than those charged at UWI (the stated rationale is specialised course offerings). The UTT is currently located in Point Lisas (on the west central coast of Trinidad), but four more campuses are under construction. According to Patrick Manning, the introduction of the GATE programme and the establishment of UTT bolstered tertiary enrolments by 40% in 2004-2005, with the participation rate expected to rise further with the abolition of tuition fees. However, critics argue that the move could lead to a 'massification' of education and compromise the quality of domestic provision (e.g. rising student-to-teacher ratio, limited resources and facilities, etc). A potential increase in the average age of graduation (as students will not be under as much financial pressure to complete their studies) could lead to an employment gap given the existing shortage of key skills and declining population growth rate in the country. In addition, concerns have been raised over ongoing issues of brain drain, the long-term sustainability of such a policy, and the difficulty of revoking it in the future (due to possible resistance from the population and political repercussions). According to the Minister of STTE, the move will cost the T&T government a total of T&T$320 million (US$51 million) per annum. Neighbouring Barbados is the only other country in the region to currently cover the full cost of tertiary education. According to local The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, October 2005

news coverage, Barbados is facing growing difficulties in subsidising student fees, but has not revoked the policy for fear of political repercussions. A BBD$700 (US$358) amenities fee for students of the UWI Cave Hill campus to reduce costs has been proposed but has been met with widespread opposition from students. T&T government's suggested safeguards against some of these issues include the binding of students who benefit from free tertiary education by a period of national service in the private or public sector in the country, and the withdrawal of free-tuition if the student fails an exam more than once. The issue of long-term sustainability has not been directly addressed. The scrapping of tuition fees in the public sector has been met with opposition by some private tertiary providers who, according to local news coverage, have expressed anxiety of losing students to public institutions and "upset" over not being involved in the consultation process. Private sector representatives have stated that their concerns could be alleviated by the fact that their institutions generally offer 'niche' subject areas not available in the public sector. As previously noted, the T&T government also plans to extend the tuition-free scheme to private institutions, although the quality assurance requirements remain unclear. What about the impact on foreign providers in the country? According to 2003 and 2005 IESALC reports, the most active foreign operators include US Drexel University and Canada's Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, and the University of New Brunswick, which offers programmes with the Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (RBTT) Roytec Institute. Given the paucity of data, it is difficult to ascertain the scale and nature of transnational provision in the country. However, foreign activity appears to be on a relatively substantial scale, characterised by franchising of foreign degree programmes through local providers and with no examples of branch campuses. According to data on UK provision abroad in 2003-04 a total of just over 3,500 students were enrolled on UK programmes offered in T&T, with University of London External Programme, Anglia Polytechnic University and Heriot-Watt University accounting for the largest numbers of students. Business studies, computer science and law were the most common subject areas, with the Bachelor's degree as the most popular qualification aim. According to the Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee, no Australian universities operate in the country. Trinidad and Tobago's abolition of tuition fees and the entry of new domestic institutions (e.g. UTT) into the market, coupled with declining population growth rates, will inarguably imply growing competition for students among public and 'external' (private and foreign) providers. However, this might be partially counterbalanced by the fact that there is insufficient domestic higher education capacity to meet the government's 'Vision 2020' higher education strategy. Specialised programmes not offered by public institutions could also attract students to private/foreign institutions (with the GATE scheme as a facilitating factor). The dominance of the English language, coupled with high study abroad numbers indicating a demand for foreign qualifications, also suggest that T&T could be an increasingly attractive site for transnational higher education. The recent establishment of the National Accreditation Council (ACTT) will undoubtedly be a timely and necessary initiative in light of the government's stated aim to bolster access without compromising quality of provision. Established in 2004 by an Act of Parliament, ACTT is set to become the quality assurance mechanism for all tertiary education institutions operating in T&T. It is expected to become fully operational in 2005/06, and is currently developing quality assurance standards for registration and accreditation as well as establishing links with international accreditation bodies for 'support and guidance'. The ACTT will also be charged with developing regulations for the import of transnational higher education as well as the recognition of foreign qualifications, but no further details have been released. The ACTT replaces the Committee on the Recognition of Degrees (CORD), a unit within the National Institute of Higher Education Research, Science and Technology. Established in the late 1970s, CORD required that foreign providers be accredited in their country of origin, while foreign programmes offered in collaboration with a local partner had to be 'of comparable quality to the counterpart in the country of origin.' CORD does not appear to have released a list of 'approved' foreign providers, and it is unclear if ACTT aims to implement more rigorous or detailed quality assurance requirements than its predecessor.

The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, October 2005

T&T is the only Caribbean country apart from Jamaica to have a national quality assurance mechanism in place (refer to the Observatory's 18 February 2004 article for further details on Jamaica's national regulatory framework for incoming providers). Barbados reportedly created an Accreditation Council in 2004, but it has yet to become operational. As indicated in the 2005 IESALC report, over eighty foreign education providers operate in the Anglophone Caribbean, some with a physical presence and others offering distance programmes (mainly from the USA, UK and elsewhere). The most common course offerings are in business and management, medical/veterinary studies, and science & technology. Most of them are in collaboration with local providers, with the exception of a number of offshore for-profit medical institutions (15 in 2003) including US St. George's University in Grenada, US St Matthew's University School of Medicine in Cayman, and Canadian Windsor University School of Medicine in St.Kitts. It was recently announced that the UWI has spearheaded the creation of a regional accreditation body for medical schools in the Anglophone Caribbean. The aim is to ensure the international recognition of medical qualifications obtained in the region. St. George's University in Grenada will be the first medical school to be reviewed by the UWI's agency. Distance and e-learning providers are also are multiplying in the region, given widespread capacity and physical access problems (particularly in countries without a branch/centre of UWI). Like T&T, the majority of countries in the Anglophone Caribbean suffer from under capacity in tertiary education and brain drain, particularly in the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Antigua & Barbuda, and Jamaica. Imported transnational provision could have value-added potential for the region, but growing concerns over the relevance and quality of provision have been raised. As the costs of the creation of accreditation councils cannot be met by all countries, and in view of the CARICOM Single Market, it has been suggested that a CARICOM regional accreditation body be created to audit all incoming providers. It has also been proposed that a register of all accredited extra-regional providers and audit reports be made publicly available. The creation of such a collaborative accreditation mechanism would undoubtedly dissuade less committed foreign players, improve official oversight of transnational higher education and the perception of this type of provision. However, the implementation of such a mass, regional effort will undoubtedly require a time-lengthy process (the proposal was drafted in 2000 but there has been limited progress to date). In the meantime, countries in the Anglophone Caribbean seeking to quality assure growing transnational activity are likely to monitor ACTT's progress closely, and plan their next step accordingly.

The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, October 2005