Empowering Future Women Leaders Through GATE: The Way Forward

Abstract

The underlying premise of the human capital theory in education is that higher education and training are costly but there are concomitant tangible and intangible benefits to the microcosm and macrocosm. The aforementioned theoretical underpinning of this study set the tone for this qualitative research project which encompasses informal face-to-face interviews with 61 full-time and part-time-female students at the University of the West Indies School of Business and Applied Studies Limited (trading as ROYTEC) concerning their experiences with Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses (GATE). The positive impact of GATE on each female student's life is unquestionable as her empowerment, development, and commitment are reflected in her answers to three open-ended questions. Further expenditure in higher education would be of benefit to any country seeking to improve its citizen's quality of life and standard of living.