History was created in Barbados with the granting of Institutional accreditation to the University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill and Open Campuses for the period June 18, 2013 to June 17, 2019.
This recognition was bestowed on the Campuses at two separate presentation ceremonies at Barbados Accreditation Council’s (BAC) headquarters.
Chairman of the Council, Yvonne Walkes, in handing over the Certificates of Institutional Accreditation commended the Open Campuses and said: “Institutional accreditation by an authorised agency such as the BAC will give learners and the wider national community greater confidence in the quality of the overall operations of your Campus.
“Institutional Accreditation further signals to the international tertiary education and training community of Barbados’ commitment as a nation, to the provision of high quality post-secondary/tertiary education; and that our country’s training provides ‘Value For Money’.
Ms. Walkes added that in order to be accorded accreditation status, all facets of the operations of the educational organisation, including its vision/mission; the quality of the educational provisions, educational goals and objectives, administrative effectiveness and all other related services were reviewed by the Accreditation body.
“Institutional accreditation therefore, seeks to assure stakeholders that the educational provider is operating at a high level of quality in all aspects of its operations,” she stressed.
“Given the current competitive structure of the regional market for tertiary education, this development means that more than ever before, institutions of higher education will have to become more accountable to
their various stakeholders,” she explained.
Prof. Simmons-McDonald also acknowledged that the UWI Vice Chancellor, Professor E. Nigel Harris, in welcoming the recognition had stated: “This is a special moment for our University in that it legitimises our investment in open and distance education started in 2008. It also sets the stage for massive expansion of this modality of education in the Caribbean to be delivered by the University as a whole.”
Professor Sir Hilary Beckles welcomed the recognition, which he had envisioned many years prior.
The UWI Cave Hill and Open Campuses join the Mona and the St. Augustine Campuses which were granted accreditation last year by their respective Councils in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Barbados Accreditation Council must be the guardian of the tertiary educational sector by ensuring that current and prospective students are not taken advantage of by unscrupulous educational providers.
This was the message sent by the Chairman of the Council, Ms Walkes.
