PM Browne Open to Capping Free CSEC Subjects, Backs Repayment for Failed UWI Courses

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has indicated that the government may impose a limit on the number of Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects it will fund per student, and has endorsed a proposal requiring university students to pay for courses they fail and must repeat.

According to Antigua News Room, Browne made the remarks during his weekly radio programme in response to a listener who suggested the government should cap its coverage at eight CSEC subjects per student, with parents bearing the cost of any additional examinations.

"I think that person is absolutely right," Browne said. "There should be a cap, and that is something that we will consider, as I said eight, if not eight, maybe ten. If you want to do 20, 20-something subjects, I don't know that the government should be undertaking that liability."

The comments come just days after the government announced it would cover the cost of all CSEC subjects for students as part of a broader initiative to expand access to education. The caller who prompted the discussion acknowledged the initiative as commendable but argued that public resources must be managed responsibly, and that students sitting an unusually high number of subjects should share in the additional costs.

Browne also voiced support for a separate recommendation concerning students at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus, stating that those who fail courses and need to repeat them should pay for the resit themselves.

"On the issue of failure, university classes and so on, I do accept that recommendation that they should pay for the resit themselves because they must have skin in the game," the Prime Minister said.

Browne did not specify a timeline for a formal decision on the proposed CSEC cap but confirmed that the government would give the matter consideration. His comments signal that while the administration remains committed to broadening educational access, it is also weighing measures to ensure students bear some responsibility for the costs tied to their academic choices and performance.