Education Minister Fayval Williams yesterday tabled in Parliament what has been described by regional media as a “damning” report on the future of The University of the West Indies (The UWI).

The report, noted that the university’s current financing model, in which economic costs are shared between regional governments (80 per cent) and students (20 per cent) is not sustainable, “primarily due to the ongoing fiscal challenges being faced by each State, “coupled with rising operating expenses resulting in increasing operational deficits”.

“The UWI appears to be heading towards financial exigency, which calls for rigorous restructuring in all segments of the institution to reduce operating costs, while pursuing feasible means of increasing revenues,” said the report done by The UWI’s Chancellor’s Commission of Governance.

It said the trends suggest the need for a combination of institutional re-engineering, substantive programme adjustments, and a structured cash conservation programme.

“While the observed deficits are directly related to challenges with the current funding model, it is also related to the effectiveness of its operations and the financial management of the university,” the report stated.

“These two critical components need to be addressed, holistically, to ensure that The UWI can survive to deliver on its mandate of providing tertiary education to the people of the region,” the report added.

“An important concern was the absence of a framework to ensure accountability and performance of staff members who are officers of the university under statutes,” it also noted.

Among the recommendations of the commission is for the establishment of an executive committee on each of the five campuses, with delegated authority, to ensure that the council’s decisions on the strategic direction and goals of the institution are measured by the performance and the achievements of its goals against key performance indicators and metrics approved by the council.

The education minister said she not only tabled the report for the attention of members of the House of Representatives, “but considering that The UWI is now at a crossroads and a critical juncture in its development”.

Williams said she was hoping that the examination of the report by parliamentarians will focus attention on the critical issues confronting the university in a debate on the report.

“Among the concerns and the issues to be ventilated via a parliamentary debate are: governance of the university; leadership; strategic planning; the state of the institution’s finances; and the impact on students, staff and the stakeholders,” Williams stated.