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Scholarship controversy surrounds two Ministers

Dec 21, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
I was appalled on reading that this government will expend almost $7.0 million per year to fund two of its current Ministers to pursue post graduate and doctoral studies in foreign universities. This is analogous to a corporate entity employing someone, for instance, as a chemist, where the minimum job specification is a BSc in Chemistry from a recognised university, and after employment, the said employee sought a scholarship from the company to pursue a BSc in Chemistry at a foreign university. There is hardly any corporate entity that will be so folly to make such a recruitment decision.
Editor, as a taxpayer of this country I have every right to know how my hard-earned money is being spent, and it is for this reason that I need to know that apart from the $7.0 million, how much more has to be spent on airfares, hotels, and per diem to fund these 2 Ministers travelling aboard for the duration of their respective courses.
Secondly, it must be noted that President Granger on the appointment of his Cabinet that included these 2 Ministers stated that he has assembled the best brains to run the affairs of this country. Are the courses being pursued by these 2 Ministers necessary for the effective functioning of their respective ministerial portfolio? If they are necessary then their appointment in the first place was in error, because they would have fallen short of the basic academic requirement for their respective job. If they are not necessary, then their pursuit of these courses is for their personal academic embellishment, and it should not be at the expense of the poor people of this country.
Thirdly, the holding of ministerial jobs ought to come with tremendous responsibilities that span the length and breadth of this country. Having 2 Ministers holding junior positions in 2 of the most critical ministries – Education and Public Infrastructure – pursing post graduate and doctoral studies will certainly take away quality time from their respective jobs, which under any circumstance will be relegated to being part-time work. If this is the case, then the jobs of these Ministers are certainly superfluous or obsolete to Cabinet’s manpower establishment.
Fourthly, were these courses advertised and open to the nation to apply, or were they single-sourced based on the choice of these two Ministers? If they were single-sourced then it exhibited an example of abuse of authority by these two Ministers, who would have had to impose their ministerial authority upon those junior ranks to have them sign off on these scholarships. If they were open scholarships, what were the criteria for selection and were these two Ministers the best candidates that applied, and who adjudicated in the selection process? Lastly, the President promised this nation the “good life for all Guyanese”, but from practice it doesn’t seem for all Guyanese, but just a chosen few at the expense of all.
Selwyn Narinedatt

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