Kingston, Jamaica — The University of the West Indies (UWI) is nearing the final stages of its long-standing decolonization mission, a process championed by Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles. In his 2023–2024 report to the University Council, themed “Regionally Respected. Globally Celebrated,” Beckles outlined the final legal and symbolic steps in transforming the institution from a colonial outpost into a fully sovereign Caribbean university.
Tracing the university’s origins, Beckles reminded stakeholders that UWI began in 1948 as a college of the University of London, part of a broader British imperial education policy recommended by the Asquith Commission. The first break from colonial oversight occurred in 1962 with the adoption of an independent UWI constitution. Sir Arthur Lewis, UWI’s first Vice-Chancellor, was credited with executing this foundational step.
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Since then, UWI has undertaken several structural reforms. These include aligning the university with the regional shift away from the British Privy Council and toward the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), a stance supported by the broader CARICOM community. Reflecting this change internally, UWI indigenized the ceremonial role of the University Visitor. In 2019, former CCJ Justice Rolston Fitzherbert Nelson was appointed as UWI’s first Caribbean Visitor, replacing the British monarch, a symbolic move backed by the UK government.
In a culturally significant milestone, UWI replaced its British-derived academic regalia in 2024 with designs inspired by Caribbean aesthetics, honoring the institution’s 75th anniversary. The change was aimed at embracing regional identity and adapting to the tropical climate.
Sir Hilary emphasized that despite these advances, the university remains tethered to its colonial past through the Royal Charter, which legally grants UWI its authority to confer degrees. “When this university was established in 1948, we were given the power to grant degrees by means of Royal Charter… Theoretically and legally, that Royal Charter can be revoked – and, if it is revoked, The UWI will not exist,” he stated.
To resolve this existential vulnerability, Beckles has proposed transferring the authority to grant degrees from the Royal Charter to a regional legal framework embedded in the 1973 Treaty of Chaguaramas, which governs CARICOM. “The UWI’s republican status is complete with judicial and intellectual independence. The final step in decolonization is the power to grant degrees,” he declared.
The heads of CARICOM governments have endorsed the proposal, supporting a shift to domestic legal arrangements that would fully indigenize the university’s degree-granting powers. If approved by the University Council, this move would finally enshrine UWI’s legal identity within the Caribbean legal system, solidifying its sovereignty.
Beckles credited key advisors, including Laleta Davis-Mattis, former UWI General Counsel, and Justice Adrian Saunders, outgoing CCJ President, for their legal guidance during the transition.
The full 2023–2024 Vice-Chancellor’s report is available online at www.uwi.edu/vcreport.
