Dr. Prem Misir’s public admission of failure

Mar 25, 2012 Letters

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Dear Editor,
The Pro-Chancellor of UG and Presidential Advisor Dr. Prem Misir has publicly admitted that the PPP education policies of the last 20 years have been a failure.
The Pro-Chancellor and Presidential Advisor, Dr.  Prem Misir (KN letter 28th Feb., 2012) has publicly admitted in this letter that the education policies of this PPP Govt. have been a dismal failure, despite being in office for 20 years.
We applaud the courage of Dr. Misir to admit the deficiencies that exist with regards to the building and laboratory facilities etc. These defects have been publicly and consistently highlighted over a decade, but no action taken. We must ask why these problems were not addressed and are still not being properly addressed now.
It cannot be due to the shortage of money, since we had funds from the European Union (Economic Recovery Program, ERP) and our resources are being exploited. In addition, over the years we have consistently heard about the dynamic progress and economic prosperity touted by Soviet-trained economist President B. Jagdeo and his PPP Govt.  Assuming these public acclamations are true, there must be lots of money around. Surely some money should be available to properly educate our young people. This must top our list of priorities.
The ‘trickle-down’ theory of former US President Ronald Reagan does not seem to be working in Guyana, since, for example, UG amidst the surrounding wealth is a grossly malnourished, deprived and sickly institution.
The current solutions offered by Dr. Misir in his letter shows his Govt. does not understand the situation and the urgencies. We cannot continue begging like this forever, soon donor fatigue steps in.
Unfortunately, Presidential Advisor Dr. Misir is misinformed, poorly advised or clearly does not understand science and the roles of science and technology in national development of Guyana and its people, particularly in a modern world. Since Dr. Misir is not a scientist, we would like to know who are on the Science Advisory panel of this Govt. We would like to know their credentials and competence, and who to hold responsible for 20 years of inane policies and neglect. It is too important to be in the hands of incompetent personnel. This importance of this understanding will be briefly outlined below.
Earlier, Guyana inherited a national strategic plan and Guyanese knew where they were going and how to get there. Public input was allowed and the advice from technically competent people was accepted. Dr. C.B. Jagan expanded this plan for national development of our natural resources and self-sufficiency in food production. For example, Dr. Jagan and his then PPP Govt. developed the polders (Black Bush) for rice production, giving land to poor people who farmed their small plots. Despite the problems which arose, this initiative with help from expert technical people saw a major part of this project come to fruition. Our engineers were generally able to manage the complex drainage and irrigation problems.
In support of these efforts to produce our own food locally, Mon Repos School of Agriculture (with NARI) was ably staffed and well-funded to ensure that applied research and development were pursued to serve local needs (rice, banana, plantains and ground provisions) including animal husbandry (poultry, cattle and dairy) and fish farming (tilapia, ‘hassar’). Other crops (cocoa and coffee, soy bean, citrus, coconut, mango, pineapple) were investigated for local suitability and sustainability to meet local needs and for export.
Dr. Jagan’s PPP Govt. and his Guyanese team knew that we needed our own scientists (basic and applied), UG was founded with the core sciences (e.g., Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Geology) from which our graduates could further specialize to meet other national needs.
Engineering at UG was started to get properly trained people to serve our technical needs. This technical and engineering expertise was built on the work done at the then prestigious Georgetown Technical (GTI) and the Port Mourant Technical training institutes.
There were outstanding Guyanese or foreign scientists with PhDs running the various Govt. departments such as Analytical Chemistry, Forestry, Geology, Mining, Fisheries and Oceans who functioned without political interference.
The foundations were laid for proper utilization of our abundant natural resources including our people, our most precious resource.
All this was done with limited financial resources at Dr. Jagan’s PPP disposal. Guyana was able to get outside help with some outstanding scientists coming to do teaching stints here at UG.
In some case these experts came with the compliments of helpful Governments (Canada, USA, Britain, Israel and some from Europe). Guyana was on the right track. Morale was high and we were a confident people.
These foundations were subsequently lost or deteriorated during the Mr. Burnham and his PNC’s years.
Dr. Jagan was elected again in the hopes that he would restore what we had lost and needed. Dr. Jagan on returning to governing failed to revive the educational institutions including UG that were his most important legacies.
The WPA who bore the brunt in the struggles against the Burnham dictatorship was shut out of the PPP Government. Things likewise fell apart without the expert help of the WPA which had the best minds in the country and access to the most capable people overseas.
Dr. Jagan without his former able personnel imitated his nemesis and personally selected, appointed and promoted party faithful and unqualified people to significant positions. Rebuilding a country proved too much with this cast of characters since this included many unschooled and untrained persons.
Dr. Jagan in effect failed to do the job he was elected to do. He failed to realize that his initial successes were due mainly to well-educated and trained Guyanese personnel, now they were excluded from positions of trust and significance in the Govt. The demise of Guyana continued because of this short-sightedness.
Successive PPP Govt. think University and technical education are too expensive. Now we have engineers who do not know how to manage the water resources of Guyana thereby destroying crops and livelihoods.
The constant floods cost millions and untold sufferings. Our engineers cannot fix boilers – something we were able to do since the days of slavery! There are undue long delays in making the repairs costing more money. Other examples of technical incompetence include wharves floating away – incorrect assembly. The list of costly incompetence is long.
Our ocean resources of fishes which can bring huge incomes go unstudied, unmanaged and non-policed. These valuable resources are exploited by whoever wants to fish in our waters.
Guyanese have now become more impoverished and are fleeing Guyana as fast as they can. We watch as others exploit our resources (gold, timber, minerals etc.) for their benefit or profit.
Dr. Misir is an integral part of a Govt. that has been in control of this country and its development but has only achieved further regression and rampant destitution, poverty and misery for its people.
The Presidential advisor and his Govt. should accept responsibility for the failures of higher education at the technical institutes and UG and its consequences.
We hope that Dr. Misir sees his Govt’s negative impacts on the Guyanese people and the next generation. His Govt.’s educational polices are creating an underclass and setting the stage for further underdevelopment and self-destruction. We are supposed to be a bright people, why are we going down destructive paths again and again?
Seelochan Beharry

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