Head of the UWI Five Islands Lifelong Learning Unit Paula Lee says that while she sympathizes with victims and their families, education remains a right—even for those who are incarcerated.

Lee spoke amid recent outrage over incarcerated graduates of the program.

Debate on social media has been intense, with many split on whether some offenders, depending on their crimes, should be allowed to join classes.

But Lee says this isn’t a simple, black‑and‑white issue—it’s complex and must be examined from all angles.

“There are several layers to this conversation. There’s the legal, the emotional, and the academic.”

“The legal has been taken care of and I didn’t learn this. I just thought about it because of all the comments that have been posted. I said, how can you be fair, Paula, to the families that would have been robbed of a son, a daughter, a mother, a father? We must never forget that they grieve but we must also understand that these residents of the prison, it’s a legal matter in that their freedom, it has been restricted. That’s the punishment.”

“Then the other layer is the emotional and yes, my baby daddy died tragically when you stabbed him. Somebody was raped and all of that. I feel it. I’m compassionate towards those people and we must never, ever forget that what happened to them will impact them for the rest of their lives. So, it’s not a matter to be just lightly brushed away. But then, there’s also the education. The learning and development layer,” Lee said.

Lee warned that excluding one group could create a ripple effect and lead to broader problems for the University.

“The United Nations speaks about education being a right. The University of the West Indies offers a product. Through that product, anyone, disability, persons in prison, old, young, middle-aged, you can access education. If we do otherwise, we’re discriminating and that’s a flaw in the realm of universities. There should be no discrimination.

“So yes, I understand all the emotions and everything but at the same time, we have a responsibility to provide access to anyone who wishes to have access and that’s what I’ll say about that,” Lee added.

Last month, The University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus awarded certificates to 432 graduates from its Lifelong Learning Unit for completing short courses that build practical, job‑ready skills.

Among the graduates were incarcerated students. This is not new—incarcerated persons have participated in the program for years.

The awards and presentation ceremony was held at the campus’ Assembly Hall.

Registration is now open for the 2026 short courses.

Register via the UWI website.

Classes meet two days per week from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm at the Five Islands Campus.