UWI has taken to social media to share photos showing the inside of the South Campus.

It follows recent questions and ongoing public interest regarding the re-opening of the facility in Debe.

Constructed with substantial Government investment, UWI says the Campus was completed for use in 2019, except for one building structure

It was used by the State as a step-down facility during the COVID-19 pandemic and returned to the University in May 2022.

UWI says it subsequently submitted requests for government funding to support rehabilitation and repairs, with the matter under consideration by the previous government.

It admits the facility has experienced some natural deterioration, due largely to the fact that it has been largely underutilised for several years.

It adds however the key restoration to the main buildings – the Academic Building (3-story main teaching and learning facility), Students’ Union, Auditorium/Moot Court, Health Facility, Cafeteria and, Gymnasium – have already been made to a high standard and they are ready for occupation.

Further ongoing restorative works are planned for the Faculty Building, while work on non-academic spaces such as the tennis & multi-purpose courts, cricket pavilion, and swimming pool will come after the initial reopening phase.

An ongoing landscape contract is also said to be at the tender stage.

As for the Campus’ use, UWI says protests in 2017 caused it to rethink the intention to have the Faculty of Law moved to Debe.

Subsequently, it decided that a newly established self-financing and sustainable Global School of Medicine would be the flagship of the Campus.

The University says the decision to establish the Global School of Medicine at this location and to designate it as a medical education hub was a strategic move, years in the making, following multiple rounds of internal planning and consultation.

It adds, “Aligned with The UWI’s Triple ‘A’ Strategy (Access, Alignment, Agility), the Global School of Medicine will serve primarily international students and will allow the University to meet the growing demand for medical education. Notably, this will redound to the country’s economic and social benefit through increased access to education, medical services, international visibility and foreign exchange earnings.”