Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Sep 17, 2016 News
University of Guyana’s Vice-Chancellor Dr. Ivelaw Griffith, confirmed yesterday that graduates of the university should expect the institution to advocate for the drafting and implementation of necessary legislation and codes
of practise to govern the various professions which students graduate to pursue.
The Vice Chancellor made this declaration at an on-campus media conference. Griffith said, “It is commonly accepted by Guyanese that there are a number of standards and issues of quality assurance that are not where they ought to be and we at the university have a role to play in making those standards official.”
Giving remarks on the matter also, was Registrar of the University Dr. Nigel Gravesande, who said that there is a need to conceptualize the importance of standards, a licensing regime and a quality assurance regime.
He took a broader approach to the issue whereby he said that legislation is necessary so as to protect the nation’s professionals on a regional level as it relates to the free movement of skill under the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.
He said that there is need for a framework to protect our professionals from being jeopardized as they move across the region’s economic space.
“The licensing of our engineers, our doctors, our nurses or social workers has become an important mandatory requirement to benefit the human resources.”
The Registrar said that best practices will have to be upgraded and promoted across the different professions. He said that the time to make these changes is now because if such steps are not taken, local professionals stand to be marginalised.
He said that there needs to be a conversation extended to the Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Attorney General’s Chambers to discuss making mandatory changes in our legislation.
“For example, as an engineer, you need to be licensed; and the regulatory body needs to have a conversation with the academic institution that is certifying you so that our graduates can move freely across the economic zone.”
According to Dr. Barbara Reynolds, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic Affairs, a few months ago attention was paid to how the University can deal with internal and external standards.
She said that specific focus was given to registration, licensing and certification of graduate professionals.
Senior lecturer within the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the university, Bruce Haynes, said, recently, that there needs to be an Engineers Act of Guyana to ensure competent personnel are allowed to undertake government contracts.
According to Haynes, currently there is the Guyana Association of Professional Engineers (GAPE) whose functions can be further empowered and upgraded to permit it to act as an oversight body for all engineers in Guyana. This would be regardless of speciality so as to protect them in the professional environment and to institute disciplinary measures for professional malpractice.
Haynes, who has been a professional for over 21 years, said that currently, GAPE is primarily involved in registering engineers but it needs to go beyond that.
He explained that a database of engineers coupled with work they would have done and the standard of such work should be recorded so as to inform future decisions when awarding contracts.
Haynes said that this is a common practice in the United States and the United Kingdom. He believes that starting at the level of GAPE together with the implementation of the Engineers Act would be the best way to go in order to monitor and evaluate engineering professionals.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
Apr 19, 2024
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