Latest update April 20th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 03, 2010 News
Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh, has concerns about the five year strategic plan of the University of Guyana, but he is not ready to make those concerns known just yet.
Baksh told reporters that the plan is engaging the attention of the government and a decision regarding additional funding for the University is pending.
The plan calls for more funding from government and increases to tuition fees.
While Baksh did not have a quarrel with the calls for additional funding, he said that the University has to move forward and has to be more relevant and meet the employment needs of the government and the private sector.
He said that he was upset that the University went ahead and introduced a Masters Degree in Education without consulting the Ministry of Education regarding the current education programmes at the institution.
Baksh said that his Ministry has taken a decision that until “we can have all these issues clarified the Ministry will not support this programme.”
Efforts have been made to ensure a change in the running of the institution and hopes this will come with key appointments, he added. President of the Caribbean Development Bank, Professor Compton Bourne, was appointed as the new Chancellor of the University of Guyana in August last year.
He is the eighth person to hold this post and his appointment was unanimously approved by the Council of the University. He replaced Dr Bertrand Ramcharan, who served between 2004 and 2007.
At his installation ceremony in early December last year, Bourne, a recipient of this country’s highest national award, promised to move the institution (UG) forward in keeping with the realities of the modern era.
He said the strategic plan will be the basis for which the turnaround plan for the institution will be based. Bourne said that he has held talks with President Bharrat Jagdeo on the future of the University and expressed confidence that actions can be forthcoming as early as this month.
Bourne called for more funding by government and the business community, particular for research, saying it was inexcusable for any academic institution not to have an active research programme. He said absence of this will see the university and the Caribbean region lagging behind other countries that are investing in the said area, Bourne asserted.
The University recently appointed a new Vice Chancellor, Lawrence Carrington, who has also called for greater funding for the University.
Annual funding by the government to the University covers capital works, recurrent expenditure. The government also provides funds to the Student Loan Agency, which affords students the option to take a loan to cover their tuition fees.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
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