THE Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is looking to streamline its tertiary education system by setting up a Regional Tertiary Education Council. The proposed Council would serve to strengthen the relationship among tertiary institutions and adjudicate on collaborative ventures between universities in areas such as the development, delivery and accreditation of courses.

Against this backdrop, the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD), at its 20th Meeting which ended in Georgetown on Wednesday, agreed to set up a Technical Working Group to develop the blue-print that would guide the establishment of such a Council.

The Working Group, in developing its action plan, would consider the goals of tertiary education, noting the different types of institutions within the system.

It would also propose the standards for achieving quality control, accreditation and accountability measures for the Council, according to a statement from the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown.

Additionally, that group which should submit its action plan to COHSOD by April 2011 and would also be expected to make proposals on the financing of such a Council considering carefully the role of government in financing tertiary education.
The decision to pursue the establishment of the Regional Tertiary Education Council resulted from a proposal presented by the Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Prof. Nigel E Harris, who argued the case for an integrated approach to the tertiary education system in the Region at the COHSOD Meeting on Monday.
The UWI Vice Chancellor averred that the creation of a regional tertiary education system overseen by a Tertiary Education Council could “promote access, equity, quality, accountability, competitiveness and some degree of financial stability to the tertiary system.”
Prof. Harris indentified models of regional tertiary education systems, which CARICOM could benchmark and proposed a system which included linkages between national tertiary systems and the regional mechanisms.
He also made a strong case for public and private partnerships and stressed the importance of involving Civil Society in developing curriculum, assessing students, creating greater accountability and financing the tertiary council.
The COHSOD underscored the importance of such a regional council and emphasised the need for political will and policy measures to overcome the institutional culture that could affect the functioning of such a council.