Prime Minister Gaston Browne has announced that university education in Antigua and Barbuda will be offered free of cost beginning September of this year, in what he described as a transformative step toward giving every citizen the opportunity to earn a degree.

The announcement, made during a radio appearance, appeared to catch even his own team by surprise — with Browne revealing that the decision was confirmed on the spot after a quick conversation with the Finance Secretary. “I just asked the Finance Secretary if she feels that we can start from September,” he said. “She said yes — so guess what, on that basis we will be offering free university education from September of this year.”

Browne framed the move as a long-term economic and social investment, arguing that access to higher education is what will determine the country’s ability to compete globally in the years ahead. “This is the area that is going to give us a competitive advantage globally — by making sure that every single person has the capacity to get a degree,” he said.

The announcement builds on years of gradual expansion of tertiary education access in the Caribbean, where the high cost of university study has long been a barrier for low and middle-income families. Many Antiguan students have historically been required to travel to the University of the West Indies campuses in Barbados, Jamaica or Trinidad, or pursue studies abroad at considerable personal and financial cost. The promise of free, on-island university education — including professional programmes like law — would represent a dramatic shift in that reality if implemented.

Browne was emphatic that the administration was not prepared to wait. “We are not waiting — because as far as we are concerned, this is the area that is going to give us a competitive advantage globally,” he said.

A Monday manifesto launch at AUA is expected to provide further clarity on how the policy will be structured and sustained.