The government will continue offering scholarships for study abroad despite providing tuition-free education at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus, saying overseas funding will remain available for programmes that are not offered locally.

Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant made the clarification Thursday during the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing after being asked whether the government’s scholarship programme would continue following the introduction of free tuition at the Five Islands campus.

Merchant said the administration remains committed to facilitating overseas education opportunities where they align with the country’s development needs.

“We have scholarships all over the world,” Merchant said, noting that Antigua and Barbuda continues to receive scholarship offers from several partner countries.

He identified Morocco, China and India among the countries currently providing scholarship opportunities for Antiguan and Barbudan students pursuing higher education overseas.

However, Merchant said government funding will be guided by a policy designed to avoid financing overseas programmes that are already available domestically.

“If the programme is offered at the Five Islands Campus, then there would be no need to send someone abroad to pursue the same programme,” he said.

Instead, he explained, overseas scholarships and government support will focus on disciplines that cannot currently be pursued at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus.

Merchant said the approach is intended to maximize public investment in higher education while strengthening the local university campus and ensuring students continue to access specialized training unavailable in Antigua and Barbuda.

He noted that the policy reflects the government’s broader strategy of expanding tertiary education opportunities at home while continuing to take advantage of international partnerships that provide access to programmes and expertise not yet available locally.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Government Says Overseas Scholarships Continue Despite Free UWI Tuition.