It was with pain, dismay and disbelief that I read in Wednesday's Gleaner that the Government had rejected the University of Technology's (UTech) proposal to transform the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium into its western campus.

The immediate consequence of that rejection is to deny 2,300 aspiring Jamaican students the opportunity of a university education, the chance for a better, more prosperous life for themselves and for their families. Perhaps the chance to break the painful chains of poverty that still, after all these years, imprison and enslave far too many of our people, our fellow Jamaicans.

I remember, as a young high school student at Excelsior, feeling extremely privileged to have the opportunity for a secondary education, an opportunity made possible for me, and for thousands of other Jamaican kids, by Wesley Powell, the great and pioneering Jamaican educator who founded Excelsior. I remember reflecting on the poverty that gripped so many Jamaicans back in those days and asking: "When, Oh Lord" when will Jamaicans be free from poverty? It was clear to even back then that education was the key that could set us free.

lose-lose situations

The rejection of UTech's bid to transform the largely idle facilities at the stadium, reportedly costing approximately $1 million per month to maintain, into its western campus must must surely be one of the biggest 'lose-lose' situations in Jamaica's history!

If the project could be approved, the economic effects and benefits to the area surrounding the western campus would be tangible, immediate and very significant: Employment in the area would increase substantially, as there would be immediate needs for construction and maintenance staff for the new university. There would be needs for restaurants, service stations/stores and businesses of all kinds to support life for, perhaps, 4,000 students, administrators, professors, teachers and support staff.

We can only pray that Prime Minister Bruce Golding will seize this opportunity to change a lose-lose situation in to a win-win one by opening the doors of university education in the western parishes, giving Christmas gifts of hope, opportunity and prosperity to thousands of Jamaicans. By so doing, his star will undoubtedly shine bright in the Christmas skies.

Mr Golding, please turn the key! Unlock the chains! Give the gift of education! Let our people learn!

I am, etc.,

ANTHONY G. GUMBS

Illinois