University of Trinidad and Tobago

[Kalz]

Anyone attending, working for, teaching at, have any association with the University of Trinidad and Tobago? What are your impressions and understanding of this new institution?

[Sirius]

I have no affiliation with them. But I was on the ACTT (Accreditation Council of T&T) website and found the following information:

Registered Institutions:

* University of the Southern Caribbean (USC)
* The UWI School of Business and Applied Studies Limited (ROYTEC)
* School of Business and Computer Science (SBCS)

Registered Providers:

* Osha Services, LLC.
* Set, Ready & Go (SRG) Limited

(Source: http://www.actt.org.tt/services/article ... 97&id=4477 (http://www.actt.org.tt/services/article.aspx?CategoryID=1897&id=4477))


Candidates for Registration:

* Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business
* Caribbean Nazarene College (CNC)
* Omardeen School of Accountancy Limited
* PAL Institute of Health, Safety and Environmental Services Limited
* Professional Institute of Marketing and Business Sciences Ltd. (PIMS)
* The Institute of Medical Education (IME)
* Upper Level Educational Institute Limited (ULEI)
* College of Legal Studies Limited
* West Indies School of Theology (WIST)
* The University of the West Indies (UWI)

(Source: http://www.actt.org.tt/services/article ... 97&id=5586 (http://www.actt.org.tt/services/article.aspx?CategoryID=1897&id=5586))

I find it a bit disturbing that this latest University, after all the hype it has been given has not yet ensured its candidacy for registration under ACTT.

[Kalz]

Thanks. This is interesting. Is registration necessary? I ask because i see even long standing schools like UWI are not registered yet. It would be unfair to single out UTT as not registered. Can you shed any light on the the importance of the TT accreditation? Thanks.

[Sirius]

Thanks. This is interesting. Is registration necessary? I ask because i see even long standing schools like UWI are not registered yet. It would be unfair to single out UTT as not registered. Can you shed any light on the the importance of the TT accreditation? Thanks.

Yes, registration is not just necessary, but mandatory. Institutions such as UWI are currently involved in the registration process, hence their being listed under "Candidates for registration". ROYTEC, SBCS and USC were just the "first out the gate" so to speak. A grace period had been granted when the parliamentary act governing ACTT came into effect in 2004. This was to allow institutions previously operating in a non-regulated environment a chance to bring themselves up to mark. This grace period (extended in 2007) ends in July of this year, following which unaccredited institutions will lose the legal authority to conduct operations.

I do work within the sector and while I am not directly involved I can tell you that registration is a lengthly and difficult process that includes extensive documentation of processes, conformance to standards, meetings, site visits and audits. Now this close to the deadline with institutions such as ROYTEC, SBCS and USC already accredited, and others such as UWI and Lok Jack currently sitting as candidates for registration, it is unsettling to see two large and notable institutions are missing from both the registered and candidacy lists: UTT and COSTATT.

As to your questions regarding the function of ACTT and what may happen to institutions that do not become accredited, I quote the following from the ACTT website. Emphasis is mine:


The Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago was established by an act of Parliament, Act no. 16 of 2004, as the principal body in Trinidad and Tobago for conducting and advising on the accreditation and recognition of post-secondary and tertiary educational training institutions, programmes and awards, whether local of foreign and for the promotion of quality and standards for post-secondary and tertiary education and training in Trinidad and Tobago.

The transition from a non-regulated to a regulated post secondary and tertiary education environment proved to be challenging for many institutions that were not in a state of complete readiness to meet the requirements mandated by the Act and outlined in ACTT’s criteria and standards. Parliament subsequently amended the act, Act no. 16 of 2007, to extend the grace period from two (2) to four (4) years, by which time institutions must be registered with ACTT. Institutions not registered on 8th July 2008 will cease to have legal authorisation to operate in Trinidad and Tobago. Those that continue to do so without registration will upon summary conviction be liable to a fine of $20,000.00 and $500.00 for each day thereafter.

Institutions are advised to contact ACTT to begin the registration process as soon as possible.Source: http://www.actt.org.tt/about/article.aspx?id=5694