THE University of the West Indies (UWI) says despite very tight financial resources, it has prioritised and proceeded with critical repair work and security enhancements at its Debe campus in order to prepare the facility in anticipation of its phased reopening, beginning in August. In a press release issued at 8.49 pm on Wednesday May 21, the university added that key restoration to the main buildings including the academic building (a three-storey main teaching and learning facility), the students’ union, auditorium/moot court, health facility, cafeteria and gymnasium have already been made "to a high standard" and are ready for occupation. Furniture and computer equipment are already fitted in the academic spaces and students’ union, the release said. The UWI statement came a day after Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal, in his capacity as MP for the area, toured the facility and had very harsh criticisms on the alleged dilapidated condition of the facilities. The UWI said further ongoing restorative works are planned for the faculty building, which will not be immediately needed. It added that a phased restoration is planned and will be implemented when funding becomes available, and as such repairs/upgrades to non-academic spaces such as the tennis and multi-purpose courts, cricket pavilion and swimming pool will come after the initial reopening phase. While key areas have been landscaped, an ongoing landscape contract is at the tender stage. The UWI admitted that the Debe campus was largely underutilised for several years and in that time, experienced natural deterioration in certain areas. The facility was constructed with substantial government investment – said to be in the tune of over $500 million – and was completed for use in 2019, save for one building structure. Although never opened, it was used by the then PNM government as a step-down medical facility during the pandemic. After the campus was returned to the UWI, in May 2022, assessments were done and urgent restoration was deemed necessary. The university submitted requests for government funding to support rehabilitation and repairs to the facility and the matter was said to be under "consideration" by the then PNM government. Budget request/proposals were submitted to the relevant authorities including detailed assessments and cost estimates for urgent upgrades. The government of the day did nothing. The Debe campus was originally intended to house the new Faculty of Law which was to be the flagship faculty at the campus. However, in 2017, staff and students from the Faculty of Law protested the move to Debe. In 2018, a decision was made by the then UWI administration not to relocate the Faculty of Law to the Debe campus. Instead, UWI decided that a newly established self-financing and sustainable Global School of Medicine (GSM) would be the flagship of the campus. The decision to establish the GSM at this location and to designate it as a medical education hub was a strategic move, years in the making, following multiple rounds of internal planning and consultation. This decision was formally approved by the University Council – the highest governing body of the regional UWI system, charged with financial and operational oversight – in 2021 and designated a core strategic objective of the campus. Since then, UWI has made several pronouncements about this GSM, the most recent being pronouncements by the Vice Chancellor at the University Council meeting earlier this month. Aligned with UWI’s Triple A strategy (Access, Alignment, Agility), the GSM will serve primarily international students and will allow the university to meet the growing demand for medical education. The statement added that notably, this will redound to the country’s economic and social benefit through increased access to education, medical services, international visibility and foreign exchange earnings. The Debe campus, UWI said, is also intended to support delivery of selected programmes across multiple faculties, including the Faculties of Science and Technology, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education and the Faculty of Medical Sciences which will be delivered in blended formats. The aims would be to increase access to persons from the south and central who would not ordinarily be in a position to attend the St Augustine campus. Notwithstanding the past protests regarding the relocation of the Faculty of Law, the university administration is open to having discussions with the government on its inclusion in the planned programmes being offered. UWI's ROYTEC will also be housed at the Debe campus. The statement added that infrastructural challenges were not unique to the Debe campus. The St Augustine campus itself is also managing the realities of an aging infrastructure, with several longstanding facilities now requiring further investment. The university said it must balance its commitment to academic excellence with the fiscal limitations of maintaining and modernising its physical assets ensuring all critical spaces are safe, functional, and in line with international standards for education. The statement said the university has included requests for funding to support rehabilitation of the campus in its official submissions to the Government. While UWI is doing everything within its means to optimise resources and enhance its financial resilience such as reducing costs (to the tune of $300 million over the past several years) and entrepreneurship ventures, government support remains critical to fully operationalise the facility as a hub for high-quality, international-standard education. The university added that it welcomes ongoing dialogue with all key stakeholders including the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Skills Training and welcomes the opportunity to provide updates as restoration efforts advance in phases.