UG mulls opening School of Energy and Mines

Sep 19, 2016 News

UG’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Ivelaw Griffith

The University of Guyana is still contemplating the setting up of a School of Energy and Mines. Vice-Chancellor Dr. Ivelaw Griffith relayed this to the media during a media conference on the Turkeyen Campus last Friday.
Griffith was at the time responding to a question on the possibility of programmes being offered in the area of oil and gas since Guyana is expected to be a petroleum producer in the coming years.
According to the VC he envisages the opening of the school, not just to offer courses on energy but to combine it with programmes focused on minerals and research. He noted that the mining of precious minerals still plays a major role in the country’s economy, highlighting that more attention is needed on the extraction of manganese.
He said that he recently convened a meeting with senior lecturers of the university, including the Dean of Technology, to discuss what the university can offer on the subject of energy. He said that the intention is to put one package together which takes into consideration all aspects of the sector.
Additionally, Griffith plans to set up a discourse with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture to ascertain what it is that the government anticipates needing, what the university can offer and therefore what gaps need to be filled. He said that having knowledge of these factors will better inform any future decisions on the subject. Griffith reported that before a Memorandum of Understanding is signed between the university and the Ministry a comprehensive understanding of what is needed and what can be provided is of utmost importance.
He plans to combine all relevant components into the programme.
“Our University needs to look beyond just engineering with regard to the energy and oil sector, but at how other disciplines can play a role; there is a role for law, a role for geology.”
He said that the institution needs to begin looking at how it can serve the nation in these areas.
Moreover, he believes that the institution needs to look at the broader opportunities and challenges and appreciate other prospects on the non-engineering side of the subject.
“We, as the university of the nation, need to do better not only on instruction but on research.”
He said that he has shared his vision with the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Raphael Trotman during the Minister’s recent lecture at the campus. Griffith said that he informed Trotman that in addition to focusing on energy the institution also needs to look into the subject of minerals and link the two areas. The VC said that he plans to bring a review team to facilitate the establishment of the school.

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