Global Black Voices: News from around the World
- Education Minister Phillip Jackson declared abolition of CAPE and registration fees, calling education a fundamental right.
- Despite public abolition claims, the college is issuing registration notices and threatening students with financial holds.
- Students no longer have the old safety net of NLA (Lotto) assistance to help cover college fees.
- Many students feel betrayed by politicians who tout free education while fees still land on families' shoulders.
- Students demand the government actually pays the college so promised fee abolition does not force out students.
Between Broken Promises and a $480 Bill
As a second-year student in the Division of Technical and Vocational Education (DTVE), receiving registration fee email from the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC) feels like a slap in the face.
We were sold a dream of burden free education. Back in December 3, 2025, Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday made headlines by declaring the total removal of admission fees at SVGCC, promising that financial barriers would no longer dictate our futures.
Shortly after, during the budget address on January 30, 2026 (and echoed on February 2, 2026), Education Minister Phillip Jackson reinforced this stance by announcing the abolition of CAPE and registration fees and framing education as a fundamental right rather than an elite privilege. Yet, here we are in September 2026, staring at an official notice demanding $480.00 in second-year fees.
To make matters worse, we can’t even turn to NLA (Lotto) for assistance like students used to back in the day when they helped cover our fees. That safety net is gone, leaving us completely stranded.
It is super frustrating to hear politicians stand up and brag on the news about free education, while the college turns around and threatens us with a financial hold if we don’t hand over $480 by September 18th or before our December exams. For a lot of us, $480 isn’t just pocket change; it’s money we simply don’t have.
If the government wants to take credit for making college free, they need to actually pay the school so we don’t get kicked out for fees they claimed were handled. Stop making promises on TV and social media, that students end up having to pay for out of pocket.
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