Law students upset with proposed move to Debe campus

2026-03-29 - 01:25

Senior Reporter sascha.wilson@guardian.co.tt Students of the Faculty of Law at the University of the West Indies are pushing back against a proposed relocation to the Debe South Campus, calling for an urgent meeting with key stakeholders, including Land and Legal Affairs Minister Saddam Hosein, Tertiary Education and Skills Training Minister Professor Prakash Persad, the UWI principal, and officials at the Law Faculty. The students say they felt blindsided by a March 18 email from the Dean indicating, what they claimed was, a mandated move to the Debe campus by August 2026. They view the relocation as a breach of contract. In an interview with Guardian Media yesterday, students said they enrolled in and are paying for a three-year, full-time, face-to-face programme at the St Augustine campus, with no clause indicating possible relocation. They argued that any sudden shift to Debe, especially with proposals for hybrid delivery, goes against what they agreed to. “What we are suggesting is that if it is you are so insistent on having the faculty move, we are not against it, but let the persons who signed the contract finish their term and the new persons who are coming in, let them go across,” said a concerned student, who asked not to be named. Due to concerns with staffing and logistics, the student said UWI was exploring a hybrid approach—teaching online and in person—but students are not in agreement. “Students are not paying for a hybrid degree. Again, the contract says it’s a face to face degree and the issue for law faculty is that we are required to have 93 credits in order to graduate which means we have to do co-curricular which are other faculties, so if it is we have to move to Debe and we have to come to another class during the day, that isn’t feasible.” Noting that travelling would also be a major challenge for some students, the student said that if they are forced to complete their degree at the Debe campus, they ought to be refunded or compensated. The students’ frustration is compounded by what they described as conflicting information from major stakeholders. The students claimed they had been warned of possible consequences for protesting or speaking publicly. “We want to be heard, which is why we are requesting a meeting with everyone involved,” a student said. In a letter dated March 20 to students, the UWI Academic Affairs Committee stated that a town hall (whether physical or online) is not being facilitated due to concerns regarding student safety and the potential for media presence to “misrepresent or sensationalise discussions,” but students can request one-on-one meetings with the Dean and Deputy Dean to address their concerns. On March 19, the executive of the Law Society indicated that while they are open to the long-term vision of relocation, the current approach is premature and insufficiently structured. The Law Society outlined a list of essential conditions that must be satisfied to safeguard student welfare and maintain academic standards, including UWI-operated transportation, a Health Services Unit, affordable accommodation, on-site access to essential administrative offices, a fully equipped Law Library, and adequate computer laboratories. The Government has been pushing to have the UWI Debe campus opened for the new academic year, with the Faculty of Law expected to be its flagship programme. Earlier this month, Minister Hosein indicated that the Government would be handling all repairs to the campus and that the Cabinet has not taken any decision on which programmes or faculties will be placed there. Attempts to reach Ministers Hosein and Persad, and UWI Principal Rose-Marie Belle Antoine were unsuccessful yesterday.