Access to tertiary education in Antigua and Barbuda has been made a little easier for 200 financially strapped students to peruse higher learning at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus, thanks to the Calvin Ayre Foundation.
The billionaire has pumped roughly $540,000 into a new project dubbed “75 Financial Care Project”. It was officially launched on Tuesday at UWI Five Islands and it is the first of three projects in celebration of the UWI 75th anniversary.
Ambassador Calvin Aye said that gone are the days when students should be prevented from furthering their education because of inadequate finances.
“This program will allow talented but disadvantaged students from Antigua and Barbuda to have access to high-quality education without the additional burden and stress associated with funding their education”, he said
The principal of the UWI Five Islands Campus Professor Denzil Williams said the aim is to make the university accessible for all.
“We are not just doing this because of the generosity of spirit. We are doing it because we want to make the campus a better place and we want it to be a better place for all. We are of the view that education is still and remains the best hope for our people to transform themselves from the periphery into the mainstream”
And…Campus Council Chair, Aziz Hadeed the vision of the University is to have a lasting impact on the lives of students who will benefit from the scholarships.
Why the government keeps choosing outsiders (especially wealthy ones) to represent us as an ambassadors? Isn’t qualified Antiguans and Barbudans native born living overseas that can choose to be ambassadors to marketing and negotiate for our twin island state? Thousands of native born educated Antiguans and Barbudans are living overseas in different parts of the world. The government needs to utilize them. Who better to represent the country but it own people.
I guess you(Mae) should put your moneyshere your mouth is and be an ambassador yourself……maybe you can give a check like that .. and employ hundreds of ppl so that their deductions make a difference in the Antiguan treasury.
This is an emotional myopic shallow view steeped in ignorance of the value of having a billionaire who has demonstrated great love for the country be involve is promoting the country to his massive network, including other billionaires. Is there not many born Antiguans and Barbudans ambassadors? Thinks bigger and wider!