UTech, Ja Annual Report 2017-18

University of Technology, Jamaica “Pioneering Past; Bright Future ” ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 9 2017/2018, the total sum expended on the Earn and Study Programme was approximately $31 million. Law School (Again) Finally, a comment on the university’s efforts to establish a law school is in order. The university has had a Faculty of Law in place for approximately 10 years. Since inception it has produced several graduates with LLB (Law) degrees. These law graduates then need to attend Norman Manley Law School in order to become fully trained attorneys-at-law. But, in the roughly 10 years, the Norman Manley Law School has accepted well below 30 per cent of the UTech law graduates. This means that more than 70 per cent of UTech graduates with law degrees have not been able to complete their studies. It also means that there are graduates from outside the UWI system who are also in the twilight zone of incompletion. Now this is not because the persons have not tried to join the law school community. Many of them have taken the Norman Manley Law School Entrance Examination, but have been turned away. In this context, UTech has applied to the Government of Jamaica to establish a law school — the Jamaica Law School — at the national university. The Minister of Education has indicated his support for this effort. We have the space, the willingness and the capacity to turn UTech, Ja and other law graduates into strong attorneys-at-law. Our Jamaica The University has continued apace with various outreach programmes. This year saw the completion of the “Fi Wi Jamaica” Project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The initiative placed the University at the heart of various initiatives mainly in underserved communities, promoting tolerance and understanding, and presenting opportunities for the urban and rural poor. Scholarship awardees and leadership from UTech, Jamaica, Petrocaribe Development Fund and the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service pose for a group photograph.