Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago became the first female Prime Minister to be inducted into the UWI, Mona Park in Honour of Graduates who are or have been Heads of Government on August 7 during an official Induction Ceremony.
 
Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal of the UWI, Mona, Professor Gordon Shirley, paid tribute to the Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar saying that she was another UWI graduate who had distinguished herself and thereby earned the right to have her name written on the roll of honour in this Park and into the history of UWI. He said that the number of inductees in the Park (16 in all with others to follow)   also provided evidence of the UWI’s ability to produce leaders to serve at the highest levels of government. He said that it also testified to the enduring ability of the UWI to remain relevant and responsive to the needs of the people of the region.
 
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, the first female Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, graduated from The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus with a Bachelor of Arts degree (1974) and a post-graduate Diploma in Education in 1976.  She then earned her Bachelor of Laws at the Hugh Wooding Law School, UWI, Cave Hill in 1985. Mrs. Persad-Bissessar also holds an Executive Master in Business Administration from the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, St Augustine.
 
Mrs. Persad - Bissessar in her address said that like cricket the University of the West Indies was also a great West Indian institution, which brought the people of the region together. She paid tribute to the University of the West Indies saying that it had moulded her and guided her on the path to where she was today. She said that many of her most memorable experiences had occurred right here at Mona during her time at UWI and that the Campus was  an integral part of her life’s journey and had contributed to the success that she had achieved. She recognized the role and contribution of the UWI in the development of education of so many of the region’s leaders and also for the part it played in shaping the minds and lives of the young people of the region. She said that the academic standards and devotion of the staff deserved the highest commendation and recognition.
 
Minister of Education, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites in his remarks, said that he was elated that Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar had come to Jamaica for the country’s fiftieth anniversary celebrations. He noted that this occasion was also an element of homecoming for herself and Dr. Bissessar as she had studied and worked on the Mona Campus. Minister Thwaites said that they were looking forward to celebrating with Trinidad and Tobago their fiftieth Anniversary of Independence later this month.
 
President of the Guild of Students, Daniel Wilson in his remarks hailed the Prime Minister as a role model and an inspiration to all UWI students and graduates. He said that she was a true UWI person, a Taylorite, who had graduated from and worked at the Mona, Cave Hill and St. Augustine campuses.