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Government continues to under fund UG – Cathy Hughes
Alliance for Change Member of Parliament, Cathy Hughes, has stated that the emasculation of the University of Guyana by the government continues, notwithstanding pleas from staff and students for urgent attention and transformation.
Hughes made that statement yesterday during the party’s weekly press briefing.
Cathy Hughes
According to Hughes, the university has had an annual deficit of between $200 and $250 million over the past five years. The commencement of the 2012-2013 academic year was delayed for two weeks in part because of the financial crisis that grips the institution.
She explained that the delay in commencement was also in part due to poor oversight of the institution by the Minister of Education. Hughes told the media that staff and students had petitioned the Minister of Education Priya Manickchand and the National Assembly for a new Council since in April.
Hughes further stated that the life of the previous Council ended on June 30. However, a new Council was only appointed by the Minister and met for the first time on September 12, last. She said it must be noted that the new Council contains several of the politically partisan, ineffective members of the previous Council.
Since the academic appointments cannot be made without the input of the University Council, numerous appointments are still to be made and many classes have not yet started, she added.
She further noted that UG does not currently have a Chancellor or a Vice-Chancellor. The Deputy Vice Chancellor will proceed on end of contract leave shortly.
Hughes said that in seeking to control all high level appointments at the University, critical posts remain unfilled for lengthy periods to try to facilitate the appointment of PPP sympathisers. This, she said, negatively affects the day to day administration and the overall governance of the University.
“The World Bank loan, which would go into default in one month, has still not been signed, notwithstanding assurances by the Minister of Education that it would have been signed by the end of May 2012. It is clear that the government sees no urgent need to sign the World Bank loan and arrest the deterioration of the University of Guyana,” Hughes posited.
Hughes said that the deliberate efforts to stifle the University have undoubtedly had an enormous impact on Guyana’s development. Knowledge has become more important in the global economy and the need for quality higher education to generate, impart and utilize knowledge in the wider economy is critical to a nation’s competitiveness.
She said that Government continually argues that tertiary education cannot be prioritized as the emphasis must remain on the nursery, primary and secondary levels. Hughes said that the argument reflects a mistaken perception that investment in the University will not yield appreciable returns and has led to chronic under financing of UG.
Hughes said that the university is now almost crippled with unmotivated staff whose remuneration is insufficient to attract and retain highly qualified faculty; underdeveloped curricula, decrepit infrastructure and ill-equipped students. In such circumstances, the potential of tertiary education to promote development in Guyana cannot be realized.
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