“Monroe College is about affordability, Monroe College is about accessibility.” This is according to Dean of the College’s St. Lucia campus Rameesh Sinanan.{{more}}

Sinanan, who regards the St. Lucia campus as his third child, spoke to an audience of potential students last Friday during an Open House event. The open house took place at the Methodist Church Hall.

Sinanan stressed that the College seeks to give persons access to quality education at an affordable price. He shared that the idea for the establishment of a Monroe campus in the Caribbean came about as he realized that Caribbean students were interested in higher education but had limited access.

Dean Robert Lewis, also giving brief remarks, stated that research has shown that 7% of Vincentian students go on to higher education. He noted that the low percentage of students moving on to higher education is prevalent throughout the OECS. Lewis stated that in order to improve the quality of a developing country such as St. Vincent, persons need to attain higher education. ‘The more persons moving on to higher education, the quality of life in St. Vincent will be improved,” he said.

Sinanan stated that the dream behind the college came about as he was talking to an auditorium of students about Monroe College. Sinanan said that he “could see the passion for education on their faces.” He, however, realized that out of the congregation of students, only a few would have been able to afford to go to the New York campus. Sinanan said he then sought out on the mission to establish a campus in the Caribbean. The St. Lucia Campus was set up four years ago, in Castries.

The St. Lucia campus, Sinanan said, offers a 60% reduction in the Tuition Fees given at the New York Campus. The school also has a book rental programme, which reduces the cost of purchasing texts. Though the St. Lucia campus does not have dormitories as yet, Sinanan said that they have good relationships with landlords to offer affordable housing to students. The Monroe College, he stated, also gives opportunities to mature persons who may not have full academic qualifications to pursue education. A situation which Sinanan went through himself.

“Anyone who wants to come to school and you are serious, we will take you,” he said, adding that persons who have never had the opportunity to finish high school but have years of work experience can apply to the institution.

The audience members were also given a virtual tour of the St. Lucia Campus and were given opportunities to question the director and dean of the St. Lucia Campus. The Campus currently offers six Bachelor’s degree programmes in Business Management, Accounting, Criminal Justice, Hospitality Management, Information Technology, Public Health, and Master’s Degrees in Business Administration. Persons can visit monroecollege.edu for more information.(OS)