Vice Chancellor stresses need for independence at UG

Jun 24, 2014 News

---

 

– as consultations to discuss tuition fee hike commences

Transforming the University of Guyana (UG) into an institution that matches international excellence is an undertaking

that requires resources. This conviction was vocalised yesterday by Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG), Professor Jacob Opadeyi, as he addressed a media conference in the Education Lecture Theatre (ELT) at the University’s Turkeyen campus.
“Without resources we can’t do anything,” said the Vice Chancellor as he pointed to the fact that the tuition fee at UG was last set some 20 years ago.
In 1994 moves were made to have the tuition fee pegged at US$1,000 which, at the time, was equivalent to G$127,000 per year. This move was implemented after a review by Government to ascertain the University’s financial position, an undertaking that concluded that the tertiary institution should be self-financing.
Noticeable changes in the currency exchange rate over the years were taken into consideration by the University’s Council in 2012, which saw a call being made for an adjustment to the tuition fee that matched the existing exchange rate. The recommended modification was however, not adopted and only became a public ‘bone of contention’ when Professor Opadeyi assumed the position of Vice Chancellor last year.
“I want you to tell me if there is anything in Guyana that the price has not changed for (over) the last 20 years; not even bus fare,” said Professor Opadeyi as he announced plans to host consultations with stakeholders over the next few days to discuss a hike in the tuition fee.
“Nobody will enjoy an increase in tuition, nobody; likewise nobody will like an institution that is not improving in its quality, content (and) environment,” said the Vice Chancellor as he went on to note, “either we want to keep the University where it has been for the past 10, 15 years, or we are really serious about making it an international excellent University.”
Moreover, he informed that talks about an increase to the existing tuition fee is something that is not only long overdue but critical to the survival of the University.  He explained that “the increase in the tuition (fee) is not just because we want more money but because we want to raise the bar.”
According to the Vice Chancellor too, “if the University is really to be an independent University, we must have resources to start our own goals, decide on our priorities rather than our involvement being tied to subvention, tuition fee increase (and) parliamentary approvals….once you are tied to that then you are asking for political intervention.”
And in order for UG to be free of such interventions, Professor Opadeyi spoke of the need for the University to be able to manage its own resources. He also alluded to the fact that “we have been guilty of, at this University, expanding our options, expanding our programmes just because this University loves the country so much, (but) I say that is the end of that love.”
The Vice Chancellor in his deliberation yesterday said that any new programme at the University must in fact come with money to enable its expansion. As such, he insisted that “we need to be demand driven, not service driven. What we have been doing over the years is service, service, service…”
“We are the only University in the country; everybody depends on us for their tertiary education but when it comes to the money required to develop those programmes, we are very short on that funding,” said Professor Opadeyi.
However, he assured that the University will not only be focused on business as according to him, “We are going to have some human faces to those among us who cannot afford the cost of going to University and we are saying that we are going to sit down with those persons and look for other ways to make their education more affordable.”
Students were put on notice last week of a looming increase to the tuition fee with an electronic notice issued by the Deputy Registrar on June 13 last. The notice in part stated, “Please be advised that registration for the 2014-2015 academic year will most likely commence in July 2014. This is because of the impending increase to the tuition fee, which has to be finalised before your registration commences. Any inconvenience caused is regretted.”
At least five consultation fora have been scheduled to discuss the way forward in terms of implementing a hike in the tuition fee.  Two sessions are set for today in the George Walcott Lecture Theatre (GWLT), with the initial attracting input from staff and another intended to target students.
But in an interesting twist yesterday Professor Opadeyi appealed to the media corps to cover the consultations in a manner so as to ensure that “it brings national unity; so that it brings positive change to this University…We do not want the coverage to retort to any form of analysis (or) any lack of insightful research. We do not want it to be something that will further bring down what we are trying to build.”
“The essence is to ask the media not to take one isolated story and turn it into headlines…in other words don’t give us any negative press without any analysis; if there is analysis to support the negative press please go ahead but we want this to be a national decision embraced by all and that is why we are having the consultations,” said the Vice Chancellor.
Aside from the two consultations today (10:00 hours – 12:00 hours (for staff) and 14:30 hours to 16:30 hours (for students) both in GWLT); another is scheduled for tomorrow (June 25) at 14:30 – 18:30 (in ELT) for the public sector and political directorate; on Thursday (June 26) members of the private sector and Non-Governmental Organisations will be the primary targets (in ELT), while on Friday (June 27) yet another forum will solicit participation from staff, students, the Advisory Board and the general public at the Berbice campus.

---

---