News Releases

The UWI now multi-lingual

For Release Upon Receipt - October 6, 2022

UWI


 The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica W.I. Thursday, October 6, 2022—After in-depth internal strategic planning and discussion with regional education stakeholders, The UWI has finally evolved as a ‘multi-lingual’ institution. A Foreign Language Policy for its five regional campuses has been approved and is being implemented. According to the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Undergraduate Studies, Professor Justin Robinson, “Going forward, the expectation is that all UWI graduates will be at least conversation competent in a language other than English.”

 This seminal policy development for The UWI, as a top-ranked global university, advances its compliance with best practices in teaching and learning found in elite-ranked cohorts. Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles noted that the “Significant change will enable the further regional and global mobility and empowerment of graduates. Foreign language proficiency will no longer be a major impediment to employment amongst our graduates in the global world.”

 The UWI currently has teaching and learning departments on its campuses that produce substantial numbers of graduates with specialised foreign language degrees. Majors and minors in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin) and teaching competencies in others like Arabic, German, Hindi, Korean, and Yoruba have long been commonplace. The introduction of this policy, however, will now see all students participating in foreign language training at a general level.

 Vice-Chancellor Beckles elaborated further, “This is a fundamental change that will transform the identity of UWI students and graduates and will provide more relevant graduates to serve as a development platform for the new, more modern, and globally competitive Caribbean economy.”

 The UWI Foreign Language Policy is being implemented on a phased, Faculty-by-Faculty and campus-by-campus basis, beginning in the academic year 2022/2023 with applicability to new incoming undergraduate students only.

 Universal coverage and participation of all students are anticipated within the next three academic years. Flexible access and easy learning is the pedagogical principle, with students having the option of self-tutoring or guided instruction. They will have the full duration of their academic programme to acquire language competence. Those coming into the university with prior competence shall be exempt from this requirement.

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 About The University of the West Indies

The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region.

 From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Open Campus, and 10 global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

 The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.

 The UWI has been consistently ranked among the top universities globally by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). In the latest World University Rankings 2022, released in September 2021, The UWI moved up an impressive 94 places from last year. In the current global field of some 30,000 universities and elite research institutes, The UWI stands among the top 1.5%.

 The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists since its debut in the rankings in 2018. In addition to its leading position in the Caribbean, it is also in the top 25 for Latin America and the Caribbean and the top 100 global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old). The UWI is also featured among the leading universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.

For more, visit www.uwi.edu.

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