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Editorial
UTech's proposal for the Trelawny Stadium makes sense
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Administrators of the University of Technology (UTech) have finally started seeking public support for their bid to acquire the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium where they wish to establish a second campus.
It is a wise decision, given that it has now emerged that the Government is looking at proposals from others interested in purchasing the property.
Although we are unaware of the identities of the other bidders and the details of their proposals, we believe that, based on what we have heard so far, the UTech submission makes sense. We are therefore encouraged by Mr Allie McNab's revelation that Ms Olivia Grange, the minister of youth, culture and sports, is giving serious consideration to UTech's proposal.
According to Dr Kofi Nkrumah-Young, UTech's vice-president, planning and operations, the university intends to spend $1.2 billion over the next six years to transform the stadium into a first-class academic and sporting facility.
The plans, as outlined to a meeting at the Falmouth town hall last Thursday and reported in yesterday's edition of the Daily Observer, are quite impressive: construction of a 30,000-square-foot building over a three-year period; the construction of dormitories within the next four years; transforming the existing 17 suites at the stadium into classrooms, lecture theatre, a staff room and a special events area; and construction of a number of sporting facilities on the campus.
The UTech administrators, of course, see where they can earn revenue from the complex - which, as far as we are aware, now brings in next to nothing - and have therefore said they would rent it for sports and cultural programmes.
Probably, however, the most significant value in granting UTech's proposal would be the creation of more tertiary-level space. For according to UTech President Professor Errol Morrison, the university is now able to meet only 28 per cent of the 3,246 applications for admission it receives annually.
Any effort, therefore, to give more Jamaicans access to university education is highly commendable and should be rewarded with strong support, both from the Government and the public.
Approving the UTech proposal makes even more sense when we consider the university's impressive record - over many years - of equipping students with the knowledge and skills that transform them into valuable and responsible citizens who have been making tremendous contribution to the country in varying professions.
In fact, no one can successfully challenge the notion that these days Jamaica needs more people who are highly trained and qualified to ensure that the country can indeed compete on the world stage.
Dr Nkrumah-Young has indicated UTech's state of readiness to take on this project, telling the meeting last Thursday that the university has already earmarked $250 million in working capital from its own resources to commence work on the stadium immediately if it gets the nod from the Government.
We have no reason to believe that he spoke idly. The Government should therefore act with dispatch in
this case.
UTech's proposal for the Trelawny Stadium makes sense
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Administrators of the University of Technology (UTech) have finally started seeking public support for their bid to acquire the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium where they wish to establish a second campus.
It is a wise decision, given that it has now emerged that the Government is looking at proposals from others interested in purchasing the property.
Although we are unaware of the identities of the other bidders and the details of their proposals, we believe that, based on what we have heard so far, the UTech submission makes sense. We are therefore encouraged by Mr Allie McNab's revelation that Ms Olivia Grange, the minister of youth, culture and sports, is giving serious consideration to UTech's proposal.
According to Dr Kofi Nkrumah-Young, UTech's vice-president, planning and operations, the university intends to spend $1.2 billion over the next six years to transform the stadium into a first-class academic and sporting facility.
The plans, as outlined to a meeting at the Falmouth town hall last Thursday and reported in yesterday's edition of the Daily Observer, are quite impressive: construction of a 30,000-square-foot building over a three-year period; the construction of dormitories within the next four years; transforming the existing 17 suites at the stadium into classrooms, lecture theatre, a staff room and a special events area; and construction of a number of sporting facilities on the campus.
The UTech administrators, of course, see where they can earn revenue from the complex - which, as far as we are aware, now brings in next to nothing - and have therefore said they would rent it for sports and cultural programmes.
Probably, however, the most significant value in granting UTech's proposal would be the creation of more tertiary-level space. For according to UTech President Professor Errol Morrison, the university is now able to meet only 28 per cent of the 3,246 applications for admission it receives annually.
Any effort, therefore, to give more Jamaicans access to university education is highly commendable and should be rewarded with strong support, both from the Government and the public.
Approving the UTech proposal makes even more sense when we consider the university's impressive record - over many years - of equipping students with the knowledge and skills that transform them into valuable and responsible citizens who have been making tremendous contribution to the country in varying professions.
In fact, no one can successfully challenge the notion that these days Jamaica needs more people who are highly trained and qualified to ensure that the country can indeed compete on the world stage.
Dr Nkrumah-Young has indicated UTech's state of readiness to take on this project, telling the meeting last Thursday that the university has already earmarked $250 million in working capital from its own resources to commence work on the stadium immediately if it gets the nod from the Government.
We have no reason to believe that he spoke idly. The Government should therefore act with dispatch in
this case.