UWI Increases Fees, NSUB Says There was No Consultation with Them

The National Students’ Union of Belize is today speaking out against the University of the West Indies for an increase in school fees at the start of the new school year, later this month. A memo from the Office of the Campus Registrar to all UWI Global Campus Students informs that tuition fees will increase by four percent for the first semester and then by another two percent in January 2024 for the second semester. This comes after a five percent increase in tuition fees last year. The memo says that the new increase was approved at a meeting of the University Council, held back in April of this year. President of the National Students’ Union of Belize Ashley Longford says that they were not consulted and that students only received an email with the notification.

Ashley Longford

Ashley Longford, President, National Students’ Union of Belize

“So coming August semester you are going to put a four percent increase on top of tuition, which in a year and a half ago, they had an increase because first the tuition was about seven [hundred and] twenty [dollars] and then it got back up to like seven [hundred and] fifty-six [dollars]. So just a year and a half ago, there was an increase so this is the second increase for UWI. This is ridiculous honestly. There wasn’t any consultation with the student body. I get that they had consultation with the student guilt, but come on have consultation with the student body as well. Right now the intervention and action that should be done is have a meeting with students, sit down and chat. What will now be the conclusion, what will be the next step to this now? Have a meeting with us, sit down with us because every has a certain situation they are going through. It’s hard times already; inflation, increase prices, a lot of different things are happening in Belize. So, having a sit down with us, having a sit down with even the National Students Union of Belize, which I organize. Just having a discussion with students about this and let us know our side to the story. The Student Guild and the University of the West Indies need to know the voice of the students.”