Opposition leader Ralph Gonsalves has accused the administration of executing “austerity by attrition” by failing to disburse scheduled financial support to local nursing trainees and university students studying abroad.
Speaking on Star Radio, Gonsalves revealed that numerous nursing students have reached out to him and his associates seeking personal financial assistance due to non-payment of their monthly stipend.
He explained that the $1,000 monthly allowance—a program instituted under his administration for all nursing students—has either been significantly delayed or withheld entirely.
Gonsalves also reported widespread funding delays affecting Vincentian university students enrolled in overseas institutions. Citing communications from a large WhatsApp group of students attending the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona campus, Gonsalves stated that a “whole heap” of students have not received their scheduled financial disbursements.
He noted that out of the entire Mona student group, only one individual reported receiving their funds without issue—an individual Gonsalves identified as the child of a government insider.
Characterizing the non-payments as a strategy to manage public financial strains, Gonsalves argued that the government is choosing to quietly withhold funds rather than announce explicit spending cuts.
“They’re carrying out austerity by attrition,” Gonsalves said. “They’re not saying they’re not going to pay university students—what they’re doing, they’re just not making the payment, leaving students to make arrangements for themselves”.
He added that these persistent administrative delays leave students in financially vulnerable positions while eroding essential social safety nets.
