The 2026 matriculation ceremony at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus brought more than the traditional welcome for new students — it became a platform for high praise for a groundbreaking education policy from Antigua and Barbuda’s government. Campus principal Professor C. Justin Robinson, a noted economist, opened the event by highlighting the historic moment these incoming students are stepping into, as the Caribbean nation rolls out an unprecedented initiative to cover all education costs from primary school through tertiary level.
Robinson explained that the policy, implemented this year, expands beyond compulsory primary and secondary education, with the state absorbing all associated costs, and extends to post-secondary levels as well. The government is covering fees for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) assessments, as well as tuition costs at the Antigua and Barbuda Institute of Continuing Education (ABICE) and the UWI Five Islands Campus itself.
In his remarks, Robinson emphasized that this policy was not just another government expenditure, but a transformative decision. Calling the move bold, visionary, and rare among global policy initiatives, he offered unreserved personal commendation to the Antigua and Barbuda government for the commitment. He noted that public funds face countless competing demands across all sectors, but investing in citizen education stands as one of the most valuable uses of state resources. “A government can choose to do many, many worse things with the public purse than commit it to the education of its own people,” Robinson stated.
Despite his strong support for the policy, Robinson, drawing on his background as an economist, offered a grounded note of caution for incoming students. He stressed that free access to higher education is not a magic bullet that will automatically resolve individual economic struggles or national challenges. “A degree by itself will not fix your family finances or fix all of our problems, but it’s an important start,” he explained. Echoing a traditional saying he heard growing up in St. Vincent, he reminded students that the cost of ignoring education far outstretches the price of investing in it: “If you think that education is expensive, then just try ignorance.”
Robinson also urged students to approach their time at university with a mindset broader than simply earning a credential. Whether they are young, middle-aged, or older students, he noted, devoting three years to higher education is one of the most meaningful choices a person can make. He challenged the incoming cohort to focus on personal growth as much as academic achievement, saying, “The question is not what you will study here. It is what you will become while you are here.”
With financial barriers lowered by the government’s new policy, Robinson reminded students that they now hold a clear responsibility to seize the opportunity. He acknowledged the critical support provided by parents and guardians who helped students reach this milestone, noting that both the government and family members have already done their part. “What remains here is really largely up to you,” he told the new students.
The ceremony also delivered a landmark announcement for the growing campus: Registrar Dr. Camille Samuel confirmed that 587 new students have enrolled for the 2026 academic year, marking the largest incoming cohort since the UWI Five Islands Campus first opened. This record intake comes as the first cohort of students to benefit from the government’s full tuition coverage policy arrives at the institution, signaling the early impact of the new policy on expanding access to higher education in Antigua and Barbuda.