CLC poised to re-open doors by April

Feb 17, 2010 News

The lack of a Government subvention will not prevent the Critchlow Labour College from opening its doors in the quest to offer affordable academic opportunities to the public.
Having closed its doors for some time now, the college will resume operation with a new Principal, Ivor English, at its helm.
English, a former head within the Transport and Harbours Department, was also a student of the college and had offered more than 23 years of voluntary teaching service there.
At a press conference yesterday chaired by union representative Lincoln Lewis, it was highlighted that the appointment and anticipated revival of the College comes as part of the collaborative efforts between the Directors of the College and the Executive Council of the Trade Union Congress.
It is expected that English will select a suitably able team to aid the reopening of the college by April.
Once operational, efforts will be made to re-activate a one-year Industrial and Social Studies programme, as well as a number of professional courses that were previously offered by the institution.
“We have gone through a difficult period which has seen us having to close our doors and the closure took place primarily because of the lack of funds,” Lewis said. He attributed the lack of funds to Government’s withdrawal of the state subvention even when Parliament had approved its passage.
“Government had given instructions for the withholding of that subvention. It is the people’s money and the government has decided that it would withdraw it.”
Notwithstanding, Lewis is of the opinion that the College can rally on in order to fulfil a cardinal responsibility to make a contribution to society.
The people who have attended the College over the years represent a wide cross section of the society who had required a second chance at academia through no fault of their own, Lewis noted.
It was because the education system had failed them that the institution of the College had become a necessity, he asserted.
“It is our desire that we will be collaborating with other institutions…Many that are in the private sector and with past and present students.
We will have to survive and it is because we are committed to surviving that is why we have decided to place the responsibility of the College in the hands of someone who understands what the mission is and is committed to achieving the objectives we have set for ourselves.”
According to English, as far as is humanly possible the College will remain self-sustaining, with a great dependence on fees, Corporate sponsorship and fundraisers undertaken with the collaboration of the Old Student Association which was recently established.
“We envision that if we call on some of the prominent individuals who have benefited from this institution they would want to see this institution survive.” The College, he articulated, has over the years served as a feeder programme to the University of Guyana as it provided persons with requisite entry qualifications thus the need for the sustenance of the Industrial and Social Studies programme.
But though the history of the institution reveals that it was geared to facilitate those who were less fortunate, it has been recognised in the recent past that persons are willing to pay quite a bit for quality education.
“If we are going to institute a quality programme I think what we will offer will compensate for fees which are not exorbitant but are in keeping with the trend in the education stream.”
In expressing optimism that the College will be successful, English related that in order for one to be successful in any human endeavour or organisation one has to first possess a certain degree of commitment to the process.
“This College could resurface. I think that it is not beyond redemption once we have the collective involvement of persons who are willing to recognise that Critchlow as a College is responding to the needs of ordinary people, giving them an opportunity to uplift themselves…”

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