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Political interference at UG
Dear Editor;
The new Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana has reportedly said that he is prepared to walk away from the job if there is any political interference by government in the management and administration of the university.
These are indeed strong words which could result in some tension between the University Council and the UG administration of which the Vice-Chancellor is the head.
It is no secret that the University Council is made up of several persons who enjoyed the confidence of the political directorate and who influence the decision making process in a way acceptable to the party in power.
Several qualified and distinguished individuals were denied employment during the days when the UG Council was dominated by known PNC members and supporters. Among those was the late Dr. Walter Rodney who was denied a teaching job at the University of Guyana by the PNC dominated Council despite being recommended by the University’s Appointment Committee.
One can only wish the Vice-Chancellor well in his attempt to de-politicize the University. Let me take this opportunity to commend the Vice-Chancellor for his initiative to raise extra-budgetary funding for the University. The University simply cannot deliver on its mandate to be Guyana’s premier teaching and research institution on the existing slender financial base. The student revolving fund has not been revolving in the way envisaged which puts added financial strain on the government to provide the required funding to the University.
Despite the challenges, the University of Guyana has done well over the years in terms of providing the country a trained and qualified cadre of professionals to manage the economy. I think more support is needed by the private sector who has over the years been a major beneficiary of the skills provided by the University at little or no financial cost.
There can be no doubt that the University has come a long way since its establishment in 1963 by the PPP. It was a bold decision taken by the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan to establish our own university at a time when most of the territories were relying on the University of the West Indies or foreign universities to provide them with their developmental skills.
Hydar Ally
Editor’s note: All Governments since independence including the PPP Government have interfered with the independence of the University for narrow political purposes. We do not want to accuse Mr. Ally, who served as PPP representative for more than twelve years from 1992 on the University Council of convenient memory. He cited the PNC Government’s action against Walter Rodney, but we recall during the Jagdeo and Ramotar presidencies, the PPP dominated Council removed lecturers they found politically unacceptable including a prominent social activist that resulted in two weeks of protest on the campus
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