Rehabilitation of UG is a manifestation of Govt’s commitment to development

Mar 10, 2014 News

– Manickchand

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand is adamant that the University of Guyana (UG) must be a place environmentally and physically capable of hosting those desirous of furthering their education. In fact it is the view of the Minister that “we must be providing an education that allows our students to be competitive in the world.”
The Minister’s remarks were forthcoming last Thursday as she awarded two contracts valued at more than US$800,000 to cater to rehabilitative works at the university.

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand

The contracts were awarded for the rehabilitation of 14 laboratory buildings in the four science faculties on the campus and to undertake a curriculum reform process for 15 Bachelor’s Degree programmes in the Science and Technology Faculties.
Funding for the contracts has been made available under the University of Guyana Science and Technology Support Project (UGSTSP) which is based on a US$10M credit from the World Bank to the Government of Guyana. The project is being executed by the Ministry of Education in close collaboration with UG.
And according to Manickchand, “this is a manifestation of our commitment to ensure that the university produce graduates who will be competitive here in Guyana and across the world…”
“We would like to see those things that make for great headlines… Government can say things legitimately and not match that commitment with the financial investment that is needed but here today is a manifestation of the Government’s tangible assistance to the university, to Guyana as a whole given that we know the university has such a huge role to play in how Guyana looks today, tomorrow or 20 years from now.”
Moreover, the Minister of Education underscored that Government is on a mission to provide an environment where graduates can exit the university who can be employed and employable not only here but across the Region and even the world.
“We are a global village and much of that will include not only what the Government does but what other players on the national scene do,” asserted the Minister.
And there are other crucial areas that require the collaboration of “players” in order for Guyana to realise the level of development it deserves, Manickchand said, even as she alluded to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill. “I am absolutely sure that you are all aware, even if by just hearing about it, that there is an ongoing struggle in the National Assembly…in fact there is an ongoing struggle I’d like to say in the nation about how we deal with this Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism bill,” added Manickchand.
According to her, Government has put forward, in accordance with recommendations from international bodies, a Bill in the National Assembly that needs to be passed, and if not passed, Guyana will suffer tremendous consequences. “That sounds so abstract but Guyanese will suffer; people – you and me – will suffer extreme consequences if that is not passed,” warned the Minister.
“There is a constant battle right now with getting the members of the opposition, the leaders of the opposition to agree to pass that Bill…in saying that we each have a role to play in this national thrust for development that include the opposition members, the opposition leaders, the entire National Assembly, and therefore lecturers, students, Government and everybody else will have to be a part of this commitment to development,” Manickchand added.
The University of the West Indies Consulting Inc. was awarded a contract valued at US$499,243 to coordinate and supervise the curriculum reform process for 15 Bachelor’s Degree programmes in the Science and Technology Faculties.
However, it was an Italian/Guyanese joint venture, Hydea in association with RPA Rossiprodi and sub-consultant CEMO that was awarded a contract valued at US$368,014 to undertake the civil works component.
Awarding the contracts for the improvement of the University, Manickchand noted, went through a competitive process and were awarded to persons who won bids, not only in accordance with the local competitive and procurement law, but they also satisfied the World Bank’s procedures as far as competitive bidding is concerned.