Coming Together for Caribbean Development

With a mandate from CARICOM, The University of the West Indies recently brought together international donors and tertiary education partners for consultations on restructuring the Caribbean higher education system to better drive economic growth in the region. More than 50 representatives attended the two-day event, which took place from November 3-4, 2016 at The UWI St Augustine’s University Inn and Conference Centre.

The consultations stemmed from a CARICOM meeting in July 2015, where The UWI Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, highlighted the importance of tertiary education to national and regional development.

The UWI invited international donors to increase their investment in research, in order to drive the innovation necessary to create competitive industries.

Participants gathered on day one of the consultations between CARICOM tertiary education sector and international development partners at The UWI in November 2016. Participants gathered on day one of the consultations between CARICOM tertiary education sector and international development partners at The UWI in November 2016.

Day 1 of the consultations was attended by representatives of tertiary education institutions from CARICOM member states and centred on developing partnerships and shared understanding. On Day 2, international development partners joined in the discussion. Presentations highlighted (1) the Africa Centres for Excellence, supported by the World Bank, which provide a template for alignment of industry and academia; (2) building capacity for research and innovation among Caribbean Tertiary Level Institutions; and (3) facilitating the tertiary education sector’s support for CARICOM Governments through programmes and projects that address regional development needs.

During the consultations, The UWI invited international donors to increase their investment in research, in order to drive the innovation necessary to create competitive industries. A University Office of Academic-Industry Partnership has been established to drive this process, under the heading "UWI for Economic Growth".

The major outcomes of consultation included:

  • Identification of opportunities for development programmes/projects where regional approaches are likely to be more effective and efficient
  • The need for a survey of tertiary level institutions to determine strengths, weaknesses and areas of particular interest, and to identify the institutions that have capacity to lead programmes/projects
  • Identification of capacity-building required to improve implementation/aid effectiveness

A Working Group chaired by Dr. David Rampersad (david.rampersad@sta.uwi.edu) was formed to develop an action plan for presentation to the CARICOM Inter Sessional Heads of Government in February 2017. The plan, which will be formulated through continued consultation with International Development Partners, Tertiary Level Institutions, members of government and the private sector, as well as CARICOM representatives, will align with CARICOM's Human Resource Development Strategy 2030, as well as with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, to re-energize Caribbean growth.