Latest update March 29th, 2025 5:38 AM
Government and businesses are not going to throw money into endless pit
UGBC’s Professor Daizal R. Samad
– says UG Berbice campus head
The Director of the University of Guyana Berbice Campus (UGBC), Professor Daizal Samad, says that the friction between the UG administration at Turkeyen and the government is a serious one that has very important ramifications and implications.
He alluded to students at Turkeyen who have expressed disappointment with the private sector in Guyana with regards to their monetary support to the university. He was making the comments during a handing over of two scholarships to two students at the Berbice campus.
The scholarships were made possible by businessman, Sattaur Gafoor. “When the businessmen do not come forward to assist UG, one must ask one’s self why they are not coming forward. You just don’t go and bad talk them. That is alienating them further”, he said.
He stated that the university needs to be more careful when approaching corporate entities for donations. He recalled the magnanimous support UGBC gets at every convocation.
There was the assistance of many businessmen who sponsored food and drink. “Very little money had to come from our budget at UGBC”, he posited.
“In a matter of hours, we got the materials and we got cash [for the graduation]. Why did this happen? Because we approached people in humility. If I need your help, I cannot be arrogant. I will come and ask for your help and be appropriately humble in the asking.”
He said that businessmen would come forward more to help the university if the persons who manage the academic institution approach them properly.
He questioned the failure of corporate entities to pour their monies into the University of Guyana.
“If I’m a businessman, why would I give you money if you are a losing enterprise? I am not going to take money and pour it into an endless pit. I am not going to throw money at a place that doesn’t work,” Prof Samad said.
He said that is more than likely the same position the Government of Guyana is taking with the University. “That’s the government’s position, I think. Why should we throw money at you and you’re not efficient? Your administrative structure is weak, if it exists at all, it’s chaotic. Your programmes are obsolete; your infrastructure had never been maintained; everything is wrong. The way you assess lecturers is ‘wishy- washy’. So why am I going to give you money?” he questioned.
He said that the government is looking at the situation at UG in that light.
The Director said that the university needs to correct itself and demonstrate that is
efficient and capable of dramatic and rapid reform, flexibility, and rapid change. Professor Samad stated that once that happens, then the image of UG will be “cleaned up.
“UG has a bad image; UGBC, I think, has a great image. We’re not boasting or anything, but we do; we have a great image. And that’s why people come forward to us here at UGBC, and nobody goes forward at Turkeyen, because of the perception,” he posited.
He said that once the university re-invents itself, there could be guaranteed support of the government and businesses with grants, scholarships, endowments and monies. “But if UG Turkeyen shows intractability, inflexibility and inefficiency, nobody is going to come forward. As a businessman, I am not going to come forward,” he stated.
The Professor said that there is the promise of things changing at the university within a year provided that there is true administration at Turkeyen.
He added that if the government is giving a subvention to UG that allows it to run, the administration should not use undiplomatic language to the government. He said that is injudicious and downright rude.
A recent UG report was made public and brought to light the university’s grappling financial situation, especially at the Turkeyen campus. (Leon Suseran)
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