Quality assurance audit needed for UG’s financial security – Union

Jul 15, 2017 News

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A quality assurance audit is needed at the University of Guyana [UG]. This move has been

recommended by President of the University of Guyana Workers Union [UGWU], Mr. Bruce Haynes.
Such an audit, Haynes said, will determine structure and identify everything as it relates to what this university is suppose to be doing.
The UGWU President shared concerns about decisions that have been made by the University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith. “Here it is you have a Vice Chancellor who could determine who he wants, from whence they came, and pay them and nobody else has a say in that. He sets up a structure but how do we know that that structure will bring value to the university?”
Both the UGWU and the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association [UGSSA] have signalled their concerns about a number of appointments made by the Vice Chancellor in recent months and were reportedly circumvented.
“It’s a real issue for us,” said UGSSA President, Dr. Jewel Thomas. “The unions have been objecting [to these] although we have not, before now, publicly voiced concerns.”
But according to Dr. Thomas, since the unions have a preference of working in an evidence based atmosphere, “we do like to give the administration a fair chance to defend itself or to outline what its position is.” In this regard the UGSSA President said that moves were made to encourage the administration to clarify uncertainties before a statement on the matter could be made.
No clarification has been provided to date, according to Dr. Thomas who revealed that the unions last official query in this regard was just about two weeks ago. She explained that the administration of the university, since the appointment of Professor Griffith, has been engaged in the practice of hiring staff outside of the university’s established processes.
“We have asked them to tell us who have been hired and how they have been hired. We are hearing reports of persons who are now members of the university and we are not aware how. We are represented on the appointments committee and we are also represented on the appointments panel but we are not aware of some of these hired at all.

“We just hear this name is working in ‘x unit’ and we have to ask where did you come from? Staff are coming to us and saying they are aware that some new persons have taken up appointments,” informed Dr. Thomas.
She continued, “It is of great concern to us because the Vice Chancellor continues to speak about transparency and there should be respect for the procedures of the university. We have checks and balances in place for a reason. They are intended to avoid corruption as much as we can and persons using the system for the benefit of themselves and friends and family.”
It is the view of Dr. Thomas that if a transparent system is maintained in the hiring process whereby it is clear what is the post that a person is being hired for; what the demands of the job are and what the qualifications required are, “once you see who the candidates are, then you select the best candidates.
“That is a process that can be defended,” asserted Dr. Thomas. “If you are hiring persons in ways that circumvent that, we don’t know who you are hiring and why you are hiring them.”
This issue, she noted, is in fact one that ties into spending at the university which knows all too well what it is to be cash-trapped for a protracted period.
It was with the need for careful spending in mind that Haynes, declared, “We don’t need large numbers to bring value or make sure we have quality, so a quality audit will determine where the money is really being spent and if it is being wisely spent.”
In fact Haynes, who sits on the Finance and General Purpose Committee of the University, emphasised that the way the university manages its money has been an ongoing issue. He informed that although spending issues are often ventilated there continues to be concerns about spending.
He shared his view that the administration of the university should give greater focus to budgeting.
“Budgeting is a specialised process and it is ongoing because you need to know what your needs are. Since the environment is pretty dynamic, that is, things are changing all the time, you need to know what is happening in every part of this university,” asserted Haynes.
He noted that while the university is still managed by archaic systems, these have continued to work well under the guidance of lobbying groups including the Finance and General Purpose Committee, and the university’s Council.
“You will have to convince people that sit there [to no use the archaic system] so that they can see what you see and run with it…Outside of that you are not going to get very far.”
According to Haynes indeed the Vice Chancellor had attempted to change the old system but “he didn’t get very far with that, so he had to shelf that and revert to the system. Because this system is a humbug, he is trying to circumvent the system he is still hiring people to fit in without going through the appointments committee, without it being ratified at Finance and General Purpose Committee but once you are hiring it has to be based on the existing structure but if you are going outside of that, it means then that you have to find more money,” Haynes highlighted.

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