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UG administration seems comfortable with lecturers with First degrees

Jan 10, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
I greatly appreciate your paper informing us about the achievements of the late Dr. Desrey Fox.
However several of my friends and I were horrified to learn recently she was fired from the University of Guyana (Kaieteur News 27th December, 2009).
After being awarded the Masters Degree from a British university and PhD from an American university, she decided to return home to continue to contribute to the University of Guyana and Guyana UG. She could have stayed abroad and make a comfortable living. We also learnt of another lecturer who also has a PhD from an American university and a LLB from a British university whose services were terminated from UG. He was told by the UG administration the university was not, “obligated” to hire him. In our discussions we learnt a former Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at UG, who has a Ph.D., was forced out of UG and is now lecturing at the University of the West Indies. And a former Dean of the Faculty of Technology at UG, who has a Ph.D., is also now teaching at the University of the West Indies.
That is, four Guyanese with PhDs returned to Guyana to make a contribution to UG and to Guyana at low salaries, but who were, one way or another, pushed out of UG.
An American Ph.D. left UG suddenly last mid semester; he could not deal with the mismanagement of the administration. This is what we know about. We are certain there are many more similar situations that we are not aware of.
While there have been esoteric discussions about whether UG should be a teaching or a research university; and the contribution of universities to development no one seems to be bothered about who will do the teaching or the research.
The UG strategic plan speaks about the “high” turn over rate, but does not tell us that the UG administration is busy getting rid of qualified lecturers. The UG administration seems comfortable with lecturers with First degrees. We are not.
We the taxpayers who pay the 41% subvention are very much interested in what we are paying far. We will be thankful if the students’ union and the workers’ union at UG each provide us with a report card at the end of each semester about management of the UG.
The students’ union can, for example, let us know which courses did not start on time, did not have a lecturer, and were taught by lecturers with a First degree, Masters, and a PhD. The workers union can let us know how many PhDs, Masters etc were hired, fired, contract renewed or not renewed, and how long it took the UG administration to make a decision. This is what I think the UG strategic plan calls “accountability and transparency”.
Maybe theses report cards will not influence the decision making of the UG administration if it is arrogant and not willing to learn from its “mistakes”. But it will help us parents and taxpayers know how effective and efficient the UG administration was so that we can begin to take action to make sure our children get the best education the UG can offer.
Claire Thomas

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